Legends Are Made
by ChikaAnn
Summary: After seeing the announcement trailer for BoTW2 and reading so many amazing fan theories, I was struck with a story idea. What if Ganondorf was the one on the Great Calamity tapestry instead of Link? What if Ganondorf helped to seal away Malice? This is my fan fic on the world of Hyrule 10,000 years before the events of Breath of The Wild. Let me know what you think!
1. To Old Friends and New

Chapter 1: To Old Friends & New

The proud Gerudo woman walked along the path in the middle of Hyrule. She ignored the looks of the Hylians on horseback as they traveled around her, most of them had never seen such a large woman. All Gerudo women were eight-foot or taller with bright red hair and sun-tanned skin from all their time in the Gerudo Desert. She stopped when she met a fork in the road, looking down each road.  
To the right was the Exchange while to the left was just more walking. She would probably have better luck finding a lover at the Exchange, she could also visit the Colosseum if she went that way. With a nod, the woman took to the right, a proud smile on her face.  
Later in the day when the sun was starting to lower, painting the sky with swirls of pinks and purples and blues, the Gerudo frowned and started up a small hill nearby, she would set up a camp to stay out of the way of travelers. It didn't take long for her to get her small tent set up and a small campfire set up from small twigs and dried leaves from the trees nearby. She grabbed out her flint and a dagger, getting ready to strike it when she heard a horse's hooves thundering against the ground not too far off.  
Curiosity got the best of her and she moved to the crest of the hill to watch the traveler race by. But they didn't, they rounded the corner and slowed up, the rider looking around frantically. They turned their horse towards the small lake on the other side of the road. The Gerudo usually stayed out of other races business, but this person, whoever they were… they weren't acting right. The woman glanced back at her camp, it was well hidden behind some trees and brush, so it wasn't noticeable right away. She moved quickly, but quietly after the rider.  
Her fingers itched when she thought of the possible treasures the rider might be hiding. As she slid between trees, she noticed a faint fire light coming from a small clearing near the water. "I'm sorry my sweet child. I hope you'll forgive me." A woman kneeled next a tree, setting something down on the ground, a small bundle. "I love you, my sweet Mora."  
The Gerudo pressed her back against the tree, watching as the smaller woman slowly got up and went back to the chestnut horse. The Gerudo waited for a moment until the rider was gone and a few minutes passed in case they changed their mind. She finally went over to the bundle and stared down into the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. "Oh… little vai…" The Gerudo kneeled and picked up the bundle, the tiny being was probably only around one year old. Maybe just passed that, but not by much. She carefully picked the small child up and cradled them against her chest. "Why would your Niladi give you up like that?"  
She slowly turned, her deep green eyes lifting to the starry sky above them. The Gerudo tried not to delve into the affairs of the other races. But she couldn't bring herself to leave the small infant there to die.

"Latifa. I know, what I've done will be frowned upon, but I…" The Gerudo woman clutched the small babe against her chest, emotion making her throat tighten. She had hurried back to the Gerudo village, sleeping only an hour or two while on the three-day trip back home. Now she was kneeling before their queen, and her direct guards, her shoulders pulled in to protect the small child in her arms.  
"Nikesa." The woman in the throne gave a warm smile as she rose, closing the distance between the two with a few long strides. "You need not explain to me. Maybe it is because my child is only a year older than this child, or that we've been friends for so long that you are more like a sister than a friend. But I am glad you found yourself a babe, so long as Hylian guards do not show up at my doorstep demanding to know where a green-eyed child has disappeared to, you will raise her as if she is your own."  
Nikesa was on her knees and had to put a hand on the ground to keep herself up as she curled around the baby. "Oh, Eabim. Oh, thank you."  
"No cry."  
The voice made Nikesa take pause, her green eyes lifting and meeting soft emerald eyes. She watched as the small child reached out, touching the top of the smaller child's head. "Little Prince…"  
"She my friend." The small boy smiled, those green eyes shimmering as he looked down at his new friend.  
"Ganondorf, my sweet boy, be careful touching the top of her head. You don't want to hurt her, do you?" Eabim kneeled next to the red-headed boy, her hand on his back. "There's a soft spot there, if you push too hard you could hurt her."  
Ganondorf turned a wide-eyed expression and pulled his hand back, holding it against his chest. "No…"  
Nikesa him a warm smile and shifted the babe in her arms so he could see he better. "Her name is Mora."  
"Mora…"

**~Five years later~**

"Mora! Come out already!" A tall red headed boy searched around crates and boxes trying to find his small female friend. "Mora!"  
The tiny female he was looking for moved slowly in the shadows, smiling as she watched him search for her. He had passed her two alleyways back and she'd been following him through town since. Her bright green eyes followed his every move, watching as he shifted crates and vases to find her. They played this game with the other children in the village, hide and seek, it helped to pass the time when there was nothing else to do. And keep them from the mothers who would bicker at them for not cleaning or doing something productive. Mora was an expert in hiding, seeing as she was so much smaller than the others. She was Hylian in a village of Gerudo. Her size was both a blessing and a curse, blessing in the way that she could hide in difficult spots, curse in that the Gerudo babied her.  
"I've found the others! Come on! It's getting late, Mora!"  
Mora paused in her hiding spot in the shadows of the building she was up against to watch her friend move on from his current position. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles as she followed him. She listened to him grumble. "You're nicer to the girls when we play! Why do you always hide in harder spots for me?"  
She was within pouncing distance of him, tightening her muscles in her legs and back as she prepared her attack. But as she launched, an arm wrapped around her torso, yanking her up and over a strong shoulder. She let out a squeal, laughing as she struggled.  
The boy whirled around, his green eyes wide as he stared at the smaller child and the tall Gerudo. "Ubo!" He looked at the small girl on the tall woman's shoulder. "Mora!"  
Ubo was a young but tall Gerudo guard in training, she smiled down at the boy. "Ganondorf, it is time to go to the palace."  
"Do I really have to?" He gave a small pout before straightening up and putting his chin up. The way he lifted his chin made the sun glittered in those emerald pools similar to how the jewels on his wrist cuffs he wore did.  
"Yes, little voe, you have duties to learn about from our Latifa." Ubo laughed at him as they walked through the alleyways back towards the small palace.  
Ganondorf let out a small growl as he walked along side the guard-in-training. He glanced up at Mora who had a stupid grin on her face. She was missing a few teeth, so she looked sillier than usual. "You wouldn't have scared me, you know."  
Mora just grinned more and giggled at him. "Like how I didn't scare you the other day, huh?"  
"Did the little Tif get scared?" Ubo gave Ganondorf a surprised look, only for it to turn sly. "Does our king let this tiny vai scare him to make her feel better?"  
"Yep. That has been my plan this whole time!" Ganondorf raised his chin higher, his eyes closed proudly for a few steps before he risked a glance at Mora.  
The look in her green eyes was near feral as she gave him a wicked grin. The King-to-be swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched a plan begin to unfold in those wild green eyes. "I will remember that, Gan."  
Ubo let out a loud laugh when Ganondorf walked a little faster, his long legs carrying him away from Ubo and Mora. "We are to drop Mora off at home first, my prince."  
Ganondorf froze for a second before making a sharp right turn down the village street towards the home Mora stayed in. "I knew that."  
Mora relaxed on Ubo's shoulder, resting her chin in her hands with her elbows pressing down on Ubo's collar bone. "I scared him."  
"I've always been told that when children pick on each other it's because they like each other." Ubo glanced at Mora, grinning when the small child turned a glare on the guard. "Don't give me that look, Mora."  
Nikesa was out front, tending to a few plotted flowers when the three arrived. She looked up, giving them a warm smile. "Thank you for fetching my little monster, Ubo."  
"It was no problem, Nikesa." Ubo gave a swift nod as she set Mora down. "You should put bells on her, so she might be easier to find. I had to listen to Ganondorf shouting her name to find them." She laughed as she put a hand on Ganondorf's shoulder. "Come, little king, shall we go?"  
Ganondorf shrugged, his hands on his hips as he stuck his bottom lip out. "I'm not king."  
"Yet." Mora hand her hands crossed behind her back as she danced by Ganondorf and to her mother. "One day you'll be the greatest king that ever lived!"  
Nikesa and Ubo looked at each other and then at Ganondorf, watching the blank look on his face turn into a frown. He turned and started to leave, pausing to look back at Nikesa and Mora. "Thank you for playing with me today, Mora. Thank you for letting her play with me, Lady Nikesa."

The next morning, Mora was up early and digging through the cabinet as she stood on the counter. She grabbed the bread she had been hunting for and dropped it on the counter next to her feet, gasping when strong hands grabbed her hips and pulled her off the counter. "My little dani." Nikesa's voice was stern with warning as she set the small girl on the floor. "What have I told you about climbing like that?"  
Mora grumbled and crossed her arms across her chest, glaring up at her mother. "I am not to do it. If I want something, I have to come get you." Nikesa gave Mora a look as if asking her when she came and got her mother. "You were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you."  
Nikesa shook her head and scratched her forehead. "Well, I'm awake now, little one. Are you and Ganondorf going to play more games today?" She grabbed the small loaf of bread and cut off two pieces, handing one to her daughter.  
Mora eagerly grabbed the piece and shoved half in her mouth, a muffled "Thank you" leaving her mouth as well as some crumbs. She swallowed the first bite before shrugging, a distant look coming to her usually bright eyes. "I don't know, sometimes Eabim makes him stay in the palace to do studies."  
"Well, why don't you go see if he can play, if not, you can come back home and relax for the day. Deal?"  
Mora grinned at her mother and quickly finished her slice of bread before running to her room to change. She reemerged a few minutes later dressed in her flowy blue pants and matching tube top. "I'll be back later!"  
Before Nikesa could respond, Mora was out the door and running through the streets towards the palace. She turned down a street before the palace and ran up to the least guarded side of the palace, looking up and smiling at the windows. If she moved quick enough and quiet enough, she would be able to sneak in. She had done it once or twice before. That Nikesa and the royal guard had known about.  
She found her usual footholds and quickly climbed, easily moving around any loose stone she gripped. She made it to the top of the wall in a matter of a minute or two, grinning as she slowly slunk to the window, peeking around and seeing her friend still snoring away the early morning. With a grin she slid into the room, only to trip on a book that was hiding under the window.  
Mora froze and stared at the sleeping boy for a moment to see if he woke up from the noise. When he resumed snoring, she moved once more. She made it to the side of his bed, her hands up and ready to find a ticklish spot when his eyes snapped open and he grabbed her.  
She squashed down the squeal that almost left her and giggled as he yanked her down into the pillows next to him. "Gan!" She hissed and swatted at his hands, laughing when he squeezed her sides and started to tickle her.  
"Why are you awake so early, Mo?" Gan laughed and finally released her as he sat up, looking down at his friend.  
Mora gave a bored shrug and relaxed into the soft pillows. "I woke up and couldn't sleep again." She sat up, feeling weird that he was sitting and staring at her. "Do you think you can play today?"  
Gan gave a frown and shook his head. "No. Mother wants me to do my studies." He slumped his shoulders and leaned back, glancing at the pillows before looking at Mora again. "You can try to take a nap here, if you want."  
Mora thought about it for a moment before flopping over into the pillows once more as Ganondorf got up, grabbing the book she tripped over moments ago. He didn't make it back to her side before she was softly snoring and curled around some pillows.

I've decided to add a little "These are the words I've used in chapter x" in the Gerudo language so everyone can take a look at the end and see what words mean! Also, I'm using a translator that is from OoT and not BoTW for a more ancient like dialect.

Gerudo to English:

Zelia – Female

Niladi – Birth Mother

Latifa – Queen

Voe – Male

Tif – King


	2. Discovery

Nikesa sat in the chair, looking over at her daughter, watching the fourteen-year-old pack a bag full of supplies. "And where are you headed to this time, my little dani? The sun isn't even up yet."  
Mora paused, her fingers delicately holding onto an older looking scroll. "I found another cave I want to explore. And I want to use as much time as possible to do it!"  
"Oh? And where is that at?"  
Mora smiled at her mother and scooted over to her side, unrolling the scroll to show her the old map. "Here, to the north in the desert." She let Nikesa take the scroll to examine. "I'll only be gone for two days; I plan on using my allowance to rent a sand seal."  
Nikesa gave a small nod, smiling back at her daughter as she carefully rerolled the scroll and handed it back. "Is Gan going with you? Or Talo?"  
Talo was one of the girls that Ganondorf and Mora used to play games with that still talked to Mora when they saw each other in the main square. Mora shook her head. "Gan said he has things he has to take care of with Eabim and Talo doesn't like getting dirty like that."  
Nikesa frowned, stroking Mora's long brunette hair. "I would feel better about you going with someone, dani."  
"Please, niladi! Please! I promise to be careful! I really want to explore this cave!" Mora pleaded, pressing her cheek into Nikesa's soft palm. "Please."  
Nikesa let out a sigh and stroked her daughter's cheek. The girl knew how to get her way, she never questioned if Nikesa was her real mother or not, even though Nikesa had told her the story a few times over. Being called niladi pulled on her heart, she wasn't her birth mother. But that was how Mora saw her. "You have three days. If you are not back by evening of the third day, I will gather a search party. Understood?"  
Mora jumped up, her green eyes bright and shimmering as she leaned in, kissing Nikesa on the cheek. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you!" She squealed and ran around, finishing up her packing. "I'll be back on the second day! I should be! It only takes a few hours to get there!"  
Nikesa shook her head softly and watched her daughter with soft eyes. A year ago, Mora had been curious and found Nikesa's old storage box and the climbing gear she had stored away there. To try and curb Mora's curiosity, Nikesa had taken her climbing and they had found a small cave that they explored quickly. Ever since, the small girl had been dying to go find more caves, she took to finding old scrolls with hints to lost and forgotten caves and ruins. "Be safe, my child. I will see you in three days." Nikesa stood when her daughter threw her bag over her shoulder, a grand smile on her lips.  
Mora gave her mother one last kiss when the tall woman leaned down far enough for her to do so and then she was out the door and headed to the north gate. As she ran, her footfalls were quiet, even with the heavy pack on her back. She enjoyed testing herself on how quiet she could be when she ran or climbed. A small smile spread on her lips when she heard the loud 'click-clack' of a guard's heels on the brick streets. If the way the sky was painted with black and purple and yellows told Mora anything, then she had timed herself to leave on Ubo's watch. Those heels should be Ubo.  
Mora had a favorite past time in this village that got her in trouble all the time. Scaring the inhabitants. Especially Ubo and Gan. They scared so easy. Mora slowed up before she rounded the corner, seeing the faint torch light growing brighter and the 'click-clack' growing louder. She bounced out, waving at Ubo who quickly turned, her forehead pressed up against the wall of the building they were next to. "Ay-a! Gorokastro!"  
Mora let out a howl of laughter, holding her belly as the tall Gerudo guard tried to calm herself. "You should have seen your face!"  
Ubo turned back to Mora, pointing at her and narrowing her eyes. "You will get yourself killed one of these days, little zewauni!"  
Mora shrugged as she walked past Ubo, patting the woman's arm as she walked away. "I think I'll do just fine." She laughed again and rounded the corner towards the Northern gate.  
Ubo narrowed her eyes and watched the girl leave, frowning. Part of her wanted to follow the smaller female to see where she ran off to, but she had duties to attend so she let the girl go. If she ran into Nikesa, she would ask.

Mora slipped around the back of the counter, leaving a small satchel of rupees there to pay for the sand seal she was about to use for the next few days. She looked around, spotting an old pot lid. She grabbed that, knowing she left enough rupees to pay for that. She tucked the lid under her arm and grabbed a rope before walking out of the open gateway. She waved to the two guards on either side, who just rolled their eyes. This wasn't the first time she'd done this; she and Gan had actually gone out at night many times before and raced sand seals all the time under the watchful eyes of the gate guards here.  
"Be careful little one." One guard warned, her tone had more of an edge this night than usual.  
It made Mora take pause, turning to the tall woman. "Is something wrong?"  
"There are a few men running around. They want into the village to trade and to look around, I would suggest against your night ride, but I cannot stop you."  
"They are mostly by the Western gate anyways, Imo." The other guard commented, giving Mora a warm smile. "You have a pack tonight, another cave adventure?"  
Mora gave a wide grin and nodded wildly. "Yes! This one is just to the North, not very far from here on sand seal."  
"I think she'll be fine, Imo."  
Imo glared at the other woman, an annoyed sigh leaving her. "We will watch for any… bad things until you crest that sand dune, after that you are on your own. Understand?"  
Mora squealed and hugged Imo and then the other woman. "Thank you, Imo! Thank you, Biana!" She turned away and went to the corral that had some sand seals, grabbing one and leading it out before shutting and tying the gate once more.  
Imo and Biana watched the girl, Biana smiling while Imo glared. Once she was settled on her potlid and taking off, Imo turned to Biana, gripping her spear tightly. "What if Nikesa doesn't know she is running off again?"  
"How could Nikesa _not_ know? That girl adores her, she would not go against her mother." Biana watched Mora race across the sand. "She would make a wonderful racer, don't you think?"  
Imo tapped her foot on the ground and turned to watch the girl. "Yes. I think if she practiced even more, she would win."

Mora let out a loud, excited 'woooo-whooo', clinging tightly to the rope that connected her to her borrowed seal. She always went for this seal, he always seemed to listen to her no matter what was going on around them. The urge to jump and do a trick or two made her muscles twitch, but she knew from the last time she did that, her borrowed potlid had broken and she was forced to walk back home.  
The seal raced through the sands, taking her in the direction of her pulls. It didn't feel as long as it had been to get to their destination, but the sun was peeking out more now. Mora waited until the seal slowed to a stop at the base of the stone wall. She picked up the lid and set it against the wall, glancing at the seal. "Okay, Cross, I'm going in, I'll be back out tomorrow. If anything comes, you can go home, I'll be fine."  
The seal stared at her, the look making her laugh as she dug out a carrot, tossing it to him. He quickly ate it and curled up next to the potlid. He was good to her like that, he would wait here with her while she explored.  
With a look up, Mora dug through her pack and pulled out a pair of gloves. She looked around, making sure she didn't have anything too heavy and put the pack back on. She did a few stretches, her tummy doing flips and giving her butterflies. She loved to explore, to find new things. Once she felt stretched out enough, she took a few steps back and ran at the wall. She pushed herself up higher by running up the wall and reaching for a higher handhold.  
Ganondorf had shown her that trick when they had last gone climbing. She took her time climbing, not wanting to exert herself too much. It took half an hour to pull herself up and over the top of the stone wall. When she got up, she saw the cave entrance to her right, but something to the left caught her eye.  
Mora trotted over, staring down in an awed stupor. There were smaller ledges leading up that would have been easier to climb than that straight cliff face. "I'll keep that in mind…" She whispered as she turned to go to the cave. Before she went in, she attached a dagger from her pack to her hip and grabbed a torch. She lit it easily with a small flint stone and her dagger, though it took her a moment to set it up between some collected rocks to keep it up right.  
Once she had the flint and dagger back in their respected spots, she picked up the torch and slid into the cave. There wasn't much to start with, mostly some grumpy bats and rats and rocks. She always got discouraged when starting out, there was never anything to start. If she was lucky, maybe she could find a pretty gem to take back to her mother. Every now and again she would stop and use a sharp stone to make a small 'x' on the wall, letting her know she was going the right direction to get out.  
It wasn't long before her stomach growled hatefully at her. At least, it hadn't felt long, but her legs were growing tired and her first torch was mostly burned out. "Lunch time." Mora plopped down where she was at, not caring about the dusty ground beneath her. She made a little home for her torch and then a second one for a new torch. She lit the new one and set her first one back in its home as she dug through her pack, pulling out some berries. She sipped water from her waterskin and tied her hair back into a ponytail at the top of her head. Once her belly was full of berries and water, she put her pack back together and grabbed the new torch, leaving the old one to slowly burn out by itself as a marker for where she took lunch.

Ubo had finished her rounds and yawned as she headed back home, ignoring the other pril as they talked about their gossips. She did take pause though, when she heard Imo and Biana talking about a familiar little beasty. "Did you say Mora?"  
The two women stopped and looked at Ubo. "Yes, she went out early this morning to go cave delving again." Imo stretched her arms over her head, groaning in satisfaction when her back popped several times.  
Ubo shook her head, sighing softly. "That girl-" She paused when she saw a tall red-headed male turn the corner, every one of the guards that were off duty, bowed their heads. "Prince Ganondorf."  
Ganondorf gave them a warm smile. "You are off duty now; you don't have to bow. I heard you say something about Mora?"  
Biana was the first to respond, waving her hand towards the North gate. "Yes, my prince. She went exploring again."  
Ganondorf narrowed his eyes, his face contorting in frustration. "And she didn't ask me to go?"  
"Perhaps she didn't want to burden you?" Imo frowned. Everyone knew that Mora would tie herself to Ganondorf's hip if she could. "That is strange though, and you were both together just the other day."  
"Oh, your name day is coming up, my prince, maybe she wanted to see if she could find you a treasure! Oh, how cute would that be?" Biana gasped, joy bright in her eyes.  
The other two women groaned at Biana, Ubo gave her a light push. "Don't tease the prince."  
Ganondorf blinked a few times and looked towards the Northern gate. He would be turning sixteen in a few months' time, officially earning his crown as a prince. "I told her I didn't want anything; I just hope she doesn't put herself in harm's way." He gave the three a nod and walked by them, going towards the barracks.

Mora finally slumped down again, wiping the grime and sweat away from her forehead. She let out a groan and set her torch down. Her body was tired, her legs screamed at her to stop and her eyes were heavy and fighting off sleep. She set up a small camp, eating a few more berries and drinking from her second waterskin. She clutched her dagger tight in her hands as she curled up on the hard ground to sleep for a few hours.  
_"Gan! I'm tired!" Mora whined, struggling to keep up with the long legs of her prince._  
_Ganondorf turned and looked back at her, giving her a small laugh. "Alright, alright. We can rest here for a few hours." He helped her take her pack off, watching as the torch light flickered in her deep green eyes. She had just turned fourteen and all she had wanted was to go on a little adventure with him. It had taken some convincing on Eabim's part, but she had finally allowed it. He started to set up a small fire, barely getting it started before he heard the soft snores coming from the petit girl next to him._  
_Mora was curled up on the hard-stone snoring softly while Gan munched on the berries they brought. He glanced down at her, sighing softly as he lay next to her, pulling her against him. She instantly curled up tighter, her face pressed against his ribs._  
_A few hours later, Ganondorf slowly stirred, his body wanting him to just go back to sleep. But then he felt the gentle tugs and pulls on his long red hair, it felt familiar to someone braiding the long locks. He pushed his head down, sighing as he pressed into the soft pillow more. A soft giggle had his eyes flying open, deep emerald hues met bright forest green ones. "M-Mora?!"_  
_Mora let out a laugh and finished the braid she had been working on. "Is something wrong, Gan?" She watched as he yanked away, staring down at the lap he had been using as a pillow. "You didn't look very comfortable when I woke up so I thought you could use my legs like a pillow."_

Mora's eyes fluttered open, lightly disorientated for a moment as she sleepily remembered she was exploring a cave. She rolled over, her body protesting as she lit a new torch and gathered up her few things. She stretched from side to side, her muscles crying out, but her spine popped in a few places which made the girl purr in delight from the feeling.  
She set out once she had done her stretches, her pace slow and each step calculated to watch for any loose rocks or anything dangerous. She knew she would have to turn back before too long to make sure she made it back home by Nikesa's time frame, but she could afford to explore a little more.  
Before too long, she was surrounded by walls. With a groan, she leaned against the far wall. Nothing. This cave gave her _nothing_. She angrily stomped her foot on the ground and pushed roughly off the wall.  
But something crumbled behind her, and beneath her. With a shriek, Mora was tumbling down, falling with the rocks around her. She bounced and tumbled down the slope, crying out when she finally hit the ground at the bottom. She slowly lifted her head, whimpering as her body cried out in pain. She started to move when something hit the back of her head.

Nikesa paced just outside the village at the North gate, her arms crossed. She uncrossed her arms, her fists clenching and unclenching as she paced in front of Biana and Ubo. "It's almost night fall and she isn't home yet!"  
Biana gave a worried glance to Ubo. "Maybe… maybe she was rushing too much and needed to rest for a few hours?" The look Nikesa gave Biana had the Gerudo guard frozen in place, her heart in her throat.  
Ubo touched Nikesa's shoulder, frowning at the woman. "Go home, try to sleep. Drink some herbal tea to help with sleep. We will keep an eye on her and if she doesn't show up, I will go and talk to Eabim right away to see if we can get a search party started. You will need your rest to help us find her tomorrow."  
Nikesa glared at Ubo, wanting to argue with the guard, wanting to go search for her baby girl right then. But Ubo was right, Nikesa would need to be on high alert come morning. She gritted her teeth and looked back towards the North, staring at the darkened horizon. "Please, please be back by morning."

Ganondorf watched as Ubo raced into the palace as he walked down the stairs from his room, Nikesa running in right behind the guard. He stared at Nikesa, she looked frantic, her green eyes wide with worry. "Nikesa…? Is something wrong?"  
Nikesa didn't hear Ganondorf at first, but then the words hit her, and she turned her wild eyes on him. "Mora isn't home yet. I wish you had gone with her." She dropped to her knees in front of him, tears in her eyes as she grabbed his hand. "I know it isn't your fault you were busy, Gan. But she is usually home by now!"  
Ganondorf clutched Nikesa's hand back, frowning at her. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that Mora hadn't even asked him to join her. He looked up when his mother entered the room, a scowl on her face. "Ubo. Nikesa. What is the meaning of this?"  
Nikesa stood, walking slowly to her queen. "My little zewauni is missing! She isn't home yet! I told her to be back yesterday!" As if he legs wouldn't carry her any closer, she dropped to her knees, staring up at her queen while Ubo was kneeling in the proper stance.  
"You say that like the two of them haven't broken a time constraint before." Eabim frowned as she took a seat in her throne, crossing her legs and watching Nikesa. Her eyes flicked to her son who stepped forward, a snarl leaving his throat.  
"I told you before, that was my fault! If I had listened to Mora, we would have been back half a day early. She- " Ganondorf started towards his mother, stopping when she tipped her head. He gritted his teeth, gnashing them as he fought back the urge to argue with his queen mother.  
Eabim raised a hand, frowning at the three before her. "If she is not back by this afternoon, tomorrow morning we will send out a search party. Give the girl a chance to get home." She saw the anger and determination in their eyes. "Trust her. She is quick witted and strong; she is not the fragile being you all make her out to be."  
The three froze, staring at their queen who rolled her eyes. "You three worry too much. I adore Mora, she has proved to be a good training tool for my guards, always keeping them on their toes. She has softened you, Nikesa. You were so fierce before you left, then that little bundle was dropped in your lap and you become a mother." She turned her eyes to her son, giving him a knowing smile. "And she makes you stop and listen. Give her one more day. If she is not back before the sun is up, Ubo you are in charge of gathering a group that will go and search for her. Is this understood?"  
The three nodded, Nikesa was stiff as she rose, letting Ubo practically carry her back home while Ganondorf turned and started to go back to his room. "You won't be in that party, Ganondorf."  
The boy stopped dead in his tracks, turning a rage filled glare on his mother. "I won't?"  
"No. You won't. You will stay here and wait like me until the search party comes back."  
The two stared at each other for a moment, Ganondorf's green eyes filled with a wild emotion that Eabim couldn't get a clear read on while her own eyes were filled with warning for her son. Eabim prepared to snap at anything her son said but he turned, in a swirl of bright red hair and blue satin, he was walking up the stairs.

Ubo was up early the next morning, the sun was nowhere near up yet, but that's all she would wait unless she wanted to risk Nikesa or Ganondorf going off on their own to find Mora. She quickly got dressed and walked as fast as she could without running to the barracks. Imo, Biana and another woman were waiting for her already. "Thank you for coming. We need to hurry; I would like to find Mora before noon." With a quick look through their packs, the four took off to the Northern gate.

Mora's eyes slowly fluttered open, a moan leaving her as she lifted her head. She slowly touched the back of her head, a loud whimper escaping her as she pushed her body up. "I have to… I have to move…" She crawled away from where she was, leaning against the wall as she pushed her pack off her back. She closed her eyes and blindly searching her pack, how it survived her fall she wasn't sure, but she wasn't about to question it. She found her flint, setting it down next to her right hip. She paused and slowly reached down to her left hip, feeling her dagger there. With a nod to herself she went back to digging into her back, finding one last torch.  
Now for the hard part. She leaned forward; her fingers shaky as she slowly pushed together as many small rocks as she could that were near her. She patted the area around her, finding her torch once again before patting around for the rock pile she made. When she found it, she pushed them aside and put torch in the center.  
"Don't cut yourself." She whispered to herself as she grabbed her dagger and the flint under her left hip. She carefully pressed the dagger against flint before pulling it back and striking it. Sparks flew, but none hit her torch. She leaned in closer to the torch, striking the flint again. She gasped, dropping her flint when her dagger slid across her thumb, but luckily sparks ignited her torch. She held her hand close to the light of the torch, examining the cut. It wasn't deep and she could curl her thumb and rotate it like usual so nothing important was damaged.  
Mora ripped a small bit off her shirt to tie around her thumb. It was awkward since she had to mostly use her mouth. Once she was all bandaged up, she grabbed her torch and looked around. She was leaning against an old, long crate, a gasp left her as she turned, looking for a way to open it. She pushed on it, hearing something pop on the old box. She slowly pushed on it more, watching the old nails in the lid break from the pressure. They were rusted all the way through and revealed their secrets.  
Inside was a large blade similar to the Golden Claymore. Mora touched the blade with gentle fingers, the torch light flickered off the blade, making it gleam in the dim light. She looked around, there was no way she was going to get that blade inside the village without someone seeing her and asking her why she had a blade that was as long as she was tall. She grabbed it, surprised by how light weight it really was. She frowned again, seeing that she had a long climb back up to the cave she had started in.

Ganondorf paced in the throne room, his hands pressed on his hips. Ubo had taken off with her group early this morning and it was almost noon with no word back yet. He had informed Ubo to look out for left over torches and an 'x' scratched on the wall of the cave system to find her easier. He looked over; his mother was reading a book on her throne. Just the sight of her reading nonchalantly while he and Nikesa were worried sick over Mora.  
"You're giving me a headache, Eri." Eabim licked the edge of her thumb before flipping the page, her eyes flicking up to her son before going back to reading.  
Ganondorf gnashed his teeth again, his eyes narrowing on his mother more. "Niladi! She is missing!" Before he could say anything more, slender arms wrapped around his torso and he was stumbling forward as the new weight pressed against his back. He turned in the grasp, staring down at the small girl against him. "M-Mora…"  
Mora was bruised and had little cuts all over, but she slumped against Ganondorf. He easily picked her up, glancing back at his mother while Ubo came in. "Where did you find her?"  
"She was trying to find a way back down from where the cliff was." Ubo dropped to one knee in front of Ganondorf, her eyes on the ground in front of him. "She wouldn't talk, just said she wanted to get home. We apologize, we would have found her sooner but… we had to go around a sandstorm to get there."

This is for chapters 1 & 2, it will come and go depending on if and when I use Gerudian words

Gerudo to English:  
Zelia – Female  
Niladi – Birth Mother  
Latifa – Queen  
Voe – Male  
Tif – King  
Dani – Daughter  
Ay-a – Annoyance (expression)  
Gorokastro – Beast  
Zewauni – Brunette (a girl with brown hair)  
Pril – women  
Eri – Prince


	3. Haunted

It had been a month since Mora had gone to the cave, and any time Ganondorf saw her, she had seemed off. The spark in those green eyes was wrong, the way she held herself was more withdrawn, her shoulders pulled forward to protect herself from something. Today, she was walking through the square, a wicker basket perched on her hip as she shopped fruits and other goods. Ganondorf watched her from where he was at the entrance with his mother and queen while they were supposed to be getting updates on parts of the wall surrounding the village needed repairs.  
Ganondorf jumped when he heard someone clear their throat and he turned, meeting his mothers' eyes. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'll pay attention."  
Eabim shook her head, waving the young man off. He was almost as tall as she was now, easily towering over the small Hylian girl he watched over. "You've been through this before, go and check on her." She let out a small laugh when he took off without another word.  
One of the guards leaned in, giving the queen a look. "Do you think he'll pick her?"  
Eabim looked at the guard, her face questioning what the guard meant but then she nodded in understanding. "I would be surprised if he picked one of the Gerudo he grew up with."

The woman that ran the stall Mora was standing at now paused, glancing behind Mora to the prince that towered over her. Mora noticed the attention but ignored Ganondorf until he would speak to her; he would do this sometimes, especially since last month. Just stand guard over her, when he stood behind her, she relaxed, she knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. She paid for the wheat and eggs, moving onto the next stall. Her basket grew heavier with each stall she visited.  
Mora didn't fight it when Ganondorf grabbed the basket from her, holding it easily in one arm while she shopped. The small girl at the stall stared in awe at how Mora used their prince like a pack mule, she smiled though when the prince gave her a slight nod and a warm smile of his own.  
When her shopping was done, Mora led the young man back through the streets in silence, women stopping and staring at them. One of the older women watched them from where she sat next to her home, little gaps from missing teeth when she looked at the tall voe. "Well trained already, my dear."  
Mora paused, looking down at the woman. She gave a small laugh and glanced back at Ganondorf, finally acknowledging him for the first time since he came up behind her. "He did this to himself."  
"Only for his future queen."  
The two stared at each other for a moment, their cheeks bright red. Mora let out a nervous laugh, hugging herself shyly. "He's getting his practice in for whoever he chooses." She turned and quickly walked away, her head down as she made her way towards her home.  
Ganondorf turned a sharp eye to the woman, making sure she sealed her lips before he followed Mora. He set the basket down, looking around for Nikesa to say hello. He gave a confused look to Mora who was watching him. "Where is-"  
"She is helping Ubo practice her defensive stance. Ubo keeps getting hit when the guards are practicing, my mother was the best at defensive strategy in fights." Mora licked her lips, trying to keep her eyes focused on his nose. She bit back a growl and looked at the wall behind him instead. "Gan, you can't pick me."  
A Queen of the Gerudo didn't need the assistance of a King, it was seen almost seen as if she didn't think she could rule on her own if a Queen declared a King to rule next to her. But, the King, when he was born, would eventually need to choose a Queen to help carry out his line, because once he passed his crown, a woman would rule again for one hundred years until the next King. Mora could hear the whispers no one dared to think of when Ganondorf was nearby. All the young females resented how close Mora was to Ganondorf, but of course they would. They wanted to be Queen. Mora wanted none of that. But she wanted to see another female at his side even less.  
"Promise me you won't pick me."  
"I can't do that."  
"Yes, you can." Mora took half a step back when he took a step forward, towards her. "I'll refuse."  
She froze at the purr she heard come from the tall prince, a snarl leaving her at his words. "And deny me, your prince, what I want? If that is what I want?"  
"And here I thought you wouldn't let the power go to your head." Mora stared at the mouth that was in front of her, mere inches away from her own. She knew he was teasing her; she could hear it in the chuckle that left him. She wondered if her cheeks were tinted pink like his were, if he felt the same butterflies that were making her heart hammer in her chest and making her limbs numb.  
Ganondorf started to close the distance that separated them, time seemed to go to slow around them as his nose brushed lightly against hers. He could feel his cheeks flush more as he tipped his chin, her breath teasing his lips. "Put your lips on my dabi, Prince…" the voice that broke their silence had the two teenagers jumping away from each other. The way Nikesa spat out the title made it sound like an insult as she moved through the doorway. "And it will be the last thing you do."  
Mora was wide eyed and staring at the ground between her feet, barely able to hear the grunt from Ganondorf as the sound of her beating heart started to drown the world around her out. She risked glancing up, seeing Nikesa with a hand on Gan's earlobe. "You are almost sixteen and she is fourteen. You will wait until she is older before you do anything with her. Neither of you are adults. And already talking about her being queen? And while your mother is still on the throne? The audacity. The disrespect." Nikesa snarled, meeting the prince's eyes.  
Ganondorf had once told Mora that he had three things he feared in life, one was his mother, one was Nikesa and the other was Mora. Those three women kept him on his toes and second guessing himself. He swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly nodded. "I'm sorry, Nikesa."  
"I don't know why you're apologizing to me. I am not the one you were trying to pressure into being your queen. While your queen mother is still living and breathing on that throne."  
"He was teasing! He- I… the old woman on the street said something and Gan was just… he was just teasing, mom." Mora grasped her mother's free hand, her green eyes round and pleading.  
Nikesa glared at her daughter before rolling her eyes. "You two are too young to be necking around like this, you have no idea what the feelings really mean. Especially with all the other pril have been giving her such a hard time for being so close to you."  
Mora's jaw dropped and she looked between her mother and Gan. "Mom!"  
"What…?" Gan stared at Nikesa, hurt in his eyes as he turned to Mora. "They've been giving you a hard time?"  
"It's not like that! Mom! Why would you-"  
"You hadn't told him?" Nikesa looked surprised, Mora told the prince everything. Even things she wouldn't tell Nikesa. "Why?"  
Mora dropped her hands to her side, her fingers clenching into fists. She turned her eyes away, biting her lip hard enough to turn them white. "I didn't want him hurt."  
Nikesa and Gan both reached out to her, but before they could lay a hand on her, she was gone, running out the door. Nikesa frowned, rubbing her face with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Ganondorf. I thought she had said something to you."  
Gan shook his head, a pathetic look in his eyes. "My mother wants me to pick Kyra… but…" He looked at Nikesa, shrugging some. "There's just something about Mora."  
"You two have a trust system in place already, you've known each other since I brought her here." Nikesa met Gan's eyes once more, tipping her head to the door. "Are you going to go get her, or do I need to go fetch her?"  
"No, I'll find her. She usually only has one place that she runs off to when she's upset like this." He started to leave when he paused in the doorway, only turning his head slightly towards Nikesa. "Can I borrow her for a few days? I promise to bring her back home."  
Nikesa watched Ganondorf for a moment before sighing softly. "That would be fine, I suppose. But no kissing." She laughed when the prince's face lit up in different shades of pinks and reds.  
Ganondorf walked quickly through the village, heading towards the Eastern gate when a guard trotted up to him. "Prince! I know it is none of my business, but I saw Mora run off crying. Is she okay?"  
"Ruby?" Ganondorf stopped and shook his head, sighing. "We had a disagreement, I upset her when I didn't mean to." He waved his hand towards the Eastern gate, where he had been headed. "I'm off to go get her."  
"Oh, I saw her run towards the Northern gate." Ruby pointed back behind Ganondorf before scratching her cheek. "It was just a moment or two ago."  
Ganondorf's face scrunched some as he thought about what was to the North. He gave a small nod of his head, thanking the guard for letting him know as he took off in the direction. He took pause when he arrived a few moments later, seeing his mother and some guard talking to each other about what he could only assume were repairs.  
Eabim glanced over, raising a well arched brow at her son. "Ganondorf, what did you do to Mora? Poor child could hardly see straight through those tears."  
Gan gave his mother a look, trying to keep his smile pleasant. "We had a small disagreement."  
"About?"  
"I will keep her personal business between us, I don't want to put something about Mora in prying ears and loose lips." His mother smirked at the harsh bite to his tone, but he ignored it, and the offended huffs from the guard around them. "What way did she go?"  
Eabim lifted her arm, flicking her wrist back towards the East. Gan let out a groan and headed out, he hadn't left but a minute or two after her, and with how short she was, he was surprised at how far ahead of him she was.  
Mora looked up at the watch tower, it wasn't used very often, only by her and maybe one or two of the guard that liked to look out over the land. She made quick work of the ladder to the second level, and then slipping around to the next ladder, she scaled on up. When she reached the top, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing a mane of fiery red hair whisking around in the wind, headed for her location. She plopped down on the edge so her back was to the ladder, her feet swinging in the air as she looked out over the sea of sand beyond.  
It didn't take long for his long strides to finally get Ganondorf to the tower, his brows furrowed together as he looked up at the sand beaten ladders. The older he got, and the heavier he grew, he always worried more and more that those stupid ladders would give out under him. But he climbed anyways to the third level. He cringed some when the third level platform creaked when he started to put weight on it. He stayed on the ladder, watching as the wind grabbed at the long brunette strands of hair around her shoulders and pulled against the silky teal threads she wore. He waited for her signal that she was ready to talk, his chin resting on his lanky arms.  
Mora glanced back at Gan, she knew she should say something, anything, to him. But anything she thought up to say just sounded wrong. She twisted around and crawled over to him, her forehead butting against his.  
Gan locked gazes with her for a moment before closing his eyes and breathing in deep. He knew what Nikesa said was true, they were still young, and they didn't understand their feelings. No matter what the two of them. He felt Mora move her forehead away from his, he started to open his eyes to see what she was doing when he felt her fingers clutching his arms and her lips crashing against his. His eyes snapped open and his lungs seemed to stop working for a moment, the world around him cracked and shifted at the feeling.  
Something ached deep inside of him when she pulled away for a moment, only for relief to flood through him when her lips were against his again. "I've been hearing a voice in my head since I visited the cave." He barely heard her as he tried to refocus on the here and now.  
Gan tipped his head, so his lips were close to hers, huffing softly. "So… you kiss a guy and then tell him that you're weird?"  
"Gan!"  
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He cupped her cheek and pulled back so he could see her eyes better. "What did you find when you went there?"  
"Nothing… at first." Mora sat back, extending her legs out as she leaned back on her hands in front of him.  
Gan carefully pulled himself up and rolled over onto his back, resting his head in her lap. "But?"  
"But… when I was getting ready to leave, I pushed off a wall and it broke open, sending me down and into some weird room with some boxes and crates. I found some cool weapons." Mora idly played with his fire red hair, her eyes going distant for a moment.  
_Mora looked down at the torch in one hand and the sword in the other. She wanted to take it back and get the blade cleaned up in time for Gan's sixteenth name day. An ancient Gerudo Claymore? How cool of a present would that be. _  
_With a look up the climb she had to make, Mora swallowed the lump in her throat, ignoring the pounding in the back of her head and the thrumming pain in her legs as she started her slow ascent back to the top. She started to slip a few times, but swung the claymore awkwardly up, catching herself before she fell back down. _  
_It felt like it took forever to climb back up with how many loose rocks made her slip back down a few inches, but finally she threw her torch up, and then the claymore. She grabbed the edge and hoisted herself up. With a loud groan she slowly stood back up, picking up her torch and the claymore. She turned on her heels, starting back the way she came when a hissing noise sent a chill as cold as ice down her spine. _  
**Wait**  
_Mora felt warmth on her cheeks as fear coursed through her veins, the voice was deep and growled at her. She didn't dare move, barely able to let out the shaky breath that was trapped in her lungs. She didn't know what way she should run if she could bring herself to move in the first place. The voice bounced and reverberated off every wall around her, trapping her in that spot. _  
**Co…**  
**…me….**  
_It was a straight shot towards the entrance, she remembered her markings, her rest spots. She hadn't turned down any side corridors, there hadn't been any. She could run, she could make her legs move, she could do it. 'Run! Run! Run!' So why weren't her legs listening to the frantic screams in her head? _  
**Ba…a…ac…k….**  
**Help… us…ss**  
_"Run, dammit!" Mora finally put one foot in front of the other, then the next and the next, until her feet were crashing on the ground beneath her. She growled when the claymore seemed heavier in her grasp, dragging her down with each fevered step. She could come back and get it; she should drop it. Gan would want her safe over some stupid sword. _  
A growl left her, she found the damn thing, she was going to keep the damn thing. She stopped for just a heartbeat, awkwardly tying a bag strap around the hilt of the sword. The tip scrapped against the ground as she ran, but with the weight on her pack, it was easier to carry. She was an idiot; she shouldn't have kept the sword.  
**Help…**  
**…us…**  
Mora didn't mention the sword to Gan, just about the voice pleading for help when she got back to the cave, she started in. She could see the gears in his head working, trying to piece together the information. "Do me a favor, close your eyes." When she did as he asked, he grabbed a hand, grounding her to him. "Tell me, what did it smell like?"  
"Dirt. Mildew."  
"What do you hear?"  
"Rats… some bats… hissing. Like… no… not like a snake… it's… airier than a snake hiss."  
"Can you pinpoint the hissing?"  
"Right behind me when I was leaning on that wall…"  
"And the wall giving way, what happened?"  
"I fell, I was sitting up at the bottom…something hit me in the back of the head." She squeezed his hand, he squeezed back, his thumb brushing along the back of her hand, reminding her she was safe.  
"Now… you've lit your torch again, what do you see?"  
"Crates… boxes…"  
"What else?" Gan watched her, she was back in that room, studying the walls she remembered. "Do you see a door?"  
Mora opened her eyes, instantly finding his, a wild fear in those eyes. "I didn't notice it at first… there was a door behind one of the crates."  
"I wonder what was behind that door." Gan gave her a coy smile, reaching up with his free hand and brushing her cheek. "Maybe one day we can go back and find out?" He was always up for an adventure when Mora wasn't.  
Mora let out a nervous laugh and looked away, her hand still squeezing his. "Yeah… maybe one day."  
"What does the voice say?" Gan saw the flinch, frowning as he stroked her hand once more. "Does anything help to ease it?"  
"You. You help. It just… wants help… in that… creepy… hungry voice… help us." Mora looked down at Ganondorf again, giving him a stupid grin. "Will you kiss me again?"  
"You have to ask?" Gan chuckled and sat up, pulling her against him, his lips gently pressing against hers.  
A smile slid across his lips when he felt her relax into him, the weight of her new problem dissolving from her shoulders.


	4. Prophets

Ganondorf slowly pulled away from Mora, her bright green eyes sparkling as she sat back. Gan brushed a strand of hair away from Mora's face, his thumb grazing her bottom lip. She let out a small laugh and rubbed her lips. "That tickled."  
Gan stared at her for a moment, his eyes narrowing and a mischievous grin spreading on his lips as he lashed out, grabbing her sides. She let out a squeal and batted at him, trying to free herself from his relentless fingers. Her eyes narrowed on him this time, laughter bubbling out of her as she turned on him, her finger grazing his bare ribs.  
She gasped when he grabbed her hand, his eyes wide and his cheeks darkening as he watched her. "I'm not ticklish."  
Mora narrowed her eyes on him, but she let out a huff and shrugged him off. "Fine. You can lie if you want."  
Gan scratched his cheek and looked away from her, seeing the small outpost just beyond the Gerudo village. "Want to go to the outpost?" He looked over at her again, smiling when she did. "C'mon." He went down the ladder first. He skipped rungs as he went down, trying his best to ignore the creaking noise. "Can you pick somewhere that isn't… this place again? I would like to not die."  
Mora laughed, finally coming down the last ladder. She was almost down when she felt something against the back of her thigh. A shot of electricity shot through her whole being, the sensation tickled but made her limbs go numb. She shot back up a few rings, clinging to the ladder as she looked down. "Wh-what the hell was that?!"  
"My… hand? I was going to carry you there on my back?" Ganondorf stared up at her, his brows furrowed as he waited for her.  
"I… I can walk. It's okay." Mora descended a little slower, the sand seeping between her toes as she carefully put weight on her shaky legs. "And yeah… I'll try to remember that you don't want to die when you stalk me."  
Gan gaped at her; his green eyes wide. "S-stalk?! Is that what it feels like?"  
Mora laughed and touched his arm, pausing when she felt the muscle there, it wasn't much but if he kept working with the guard like he did, he would be well toned. He was a little awkward, his body was still lanky, and his hands were a little large for him, but he was still growing. She couldn't really judge him; she had only seen the one or two other occasional males outside the village. "No, I was just teasing you, Gan." She grabbed his hand, letting her own be engulfed by his.  
Gan looked at her hand in his, the corners of his mouth turning up as he led her towards the outpost. About halfway there though, Mora groaned at his long strides. "You walk so fast, Gan!"  
"I told you I would carry you. I walk through the sand better than you do."  
"And your legs are a million miles long."  
"Well maybe you should go through a growth spurt."  
"I went through mine already."  
"I know, short stuff." Gan laughed as he turned his back to her with a knee in the hot sand. He waited until she climbed onto his back and stood. He glanced to his left when he felt her rest her chin on his shoulder. "Comfy?"  
"Boney."  
"I'm working on that, thank you. Muscle takes time to build." Gan walked at his normal pace now which would get them there in half the time it would have taken them if Mora had stayed walking.  
"Maybe you should run laps around the village to help build leg muscle." She teased him as she pressed her nose against his boney shoulder.  
Ganondorf set his pace, hands tucked under Mora's knees as he moved. "Do you really not want to be a queen?"  
Mora let out a sigh, a growl on the end of the breath as she pressed her nose to his neck. "I'm not a Gerudo."  
"In body, perhaps."  
"Ganondorf. They would be offended. One of your own isn't good enough?"  
"You talk like our mothers."  
"Yes, because they're right."  
"Mo, I don't care if it's right or not. I can make it right."  
"You can't tell people how to think, Gan."  
"When I'm king-" Ganondorf stopped short, nearly stumbling to his knees when the girl on his back grabbed a handful of hair and yanked back. His lip pulled up in a snarl and he closed his eyes against the sudden pain at the back of his head.  
Mora pushed herself up his back awkwardly so she could stare down into his eyes. Anger boiled in those deep forest green pools. "When you are king, people can have their own opinions. People will follow the laws you set forth. Or will you be like another king we hear stories about from vai that come home?"  
Ganondorf went still, staring up into her eyes. There was a darkness in those beautiful eyes that he had never seen before. "I am not like him. I _won't_ be like him."  
"I know you aren't, Gan. So, don't become him by telling your people to respect a queen who should be nowhere near the throne. You respect them and they will love you." They stared at each other like that for a moment before Mora leaned down, tipping her head and kissing him softly. She released her hold on him and settled back down against him, her chin on his shoulder once more.  
"My mother says you're wise beyond your years." Gan rolled his shoulders and neck before continuing towards the oasis. "And braver than your size should allow."  
Mora snorted, her nuzzling the spot just beneath his ear. They walked in silence until Gan stopped and helped her down from his back until her toes touched sand. He grabbed her hand before she could get away from him, squeezing her fingers gently. He had been out there once or twice with his mother and some guards to meet some people from outside of the Gerudo.  
But once they were there, he realized that Mora had _never_ met another race than the one or two humans and Hylians and the Gerudo. He saw it on her face when she laid eyes on the rounded body of the Goron walking around, and then her jaw dropped at the sight of the Rito. "Gan…it's a bird. And it's talking. And it's easily as tall as you." She whispered; her knuckles white from how hard she was squeezing his hand.  
Gan let out a chuckle and pulled her against his side, his arm draped over her shoulder. "Yes, I suppose it is." He laughed more and stepped out of the way of the Goron who was trying to make their way to the shop next to Gan and Mora. He gave her a warm look when he saw the childish awe on her face while looking the other being over. "You can say hello, you know."  
Mora turned, gaping at Ganondorf now, her eyes wide. She slowly shook her head, a childlike fear in those eyes. "I'm okay…" She turned her attention back to the Rito, the large bird like figure that was talking to a Hylian while sitting next to the water. They were dark gray all over, but their wings faded into a deep orange along with the plumage on their head, deep orange with white specks over the feathers. "So pretty."  
Gan started to pull her towards the shop and inn off to the side, both pausing when someone shouting caught their attention. "Fortune telling! The Great Delty is telling fortunes today! Come to the stables to have your future foretold!" The boy was shorter like Mora, his hair was a dark brown, so dark that it almost looked black.  
Gan flinched when Mora yanked on his arm. "Fortune?!" Mora gasped, staring up at him with her green eyes wide and full of wonder.  
"Oh, come on." Ganondorf let out a groan and rolled his eyes at her. "Really? You want to go?"  
"Please! Oh, please, Gan!" Mora squeezed his arm, giving him a pleading look.  
"Don't give me that look, Mo." Gan felt himself crumble a little when she stuck her bottom lip out at him. "Mo, they're just cons. There hasn't been a real future seer in years, from what my mother says."  
"Please? Just this once, we don't have to tell anyone! Please?"  
With a grumbly sigh, Gan led her away from the oasis. It was a quick walk from the outpost to the canyon entrance. Gan helped Mora down the rocky steps, glancing around at the festivities around them. "You can do this one thing, and then we're leaving, understood?"  
"Yes, sir!" Mora all but dragged the reluctant prince to the small tent. There was a male and female in front of them, bumping shoulders as they waited their turn. Off to the right of the tent was a short male who looked almost identical to the one who had been shouting about The Great Delty.  
Ganondorf kept an eye on the area around them, noting the four guards in silver and blue, Hylians. One stopped and held Gan's gaze for a moment before looking away and talking to his fellow soldiers again. He looked to the stable, seeing a stable hand feeding some of the horses that were in the stalls, there was a man in a funny little hat standing outside and talking to one who looked similar enough to possibly be a brother.  
As they stood there, a girl all but bounced on her toes out of the tent. Her smile beaming as she made her way to the stables. The boy in front of them looked to the girl standing next to him and slipped in after handing the guard a few rupees. Gan glanced over at the guardsmen again, two were looking in their direction. He pulled Mora closer to him, giving her a gentle squeeze.  
Mora glanced up at him then over to where he was looking. She could see the annoyance at being looked at in the set of his jaw. She put a hand on his stomach, forcing him to look down at her and ignore the world around them. She started to say something when the male that went into the tent came out, rubbing his face some.  
"Shilo, I grow tired." The old voice had Ganondorf tipping his head in the direction of the tent. An old woman stood before it now. She didn't seem striking at first, but the longer he stared at her, he realized she had one blazing red eye and one icy blue eye. Her wiry graying hair was pulling into two twin tails at the back of her head. She was adorned in blue and red fabrics that flowed around her frail old body. At the base of her throat was a jewel that was split in half, one red side, one blue side.  
Mora gave a small pout and started to turn away when the girl in front of them hung her head, leaving the tent. Ganondorf and Mora took a step away when a surprised noise left the old woman. The two looked over, seeing the red and blue eyes on them. "Oh, my. What do we have here?"  
If time stopped around them, only those three seemed to notice. The wind picked up, catching the teal desert cloth that Gan and Mora wore on their bodies, it lifted the flowy cloth around the old woman, tearing the blue and red cloth around her. Before Mora could react, the woman was in front of her, cracked fingers against her soft cheeks. Her nose was long and hooked, similar to the Gerudo. "The darkness has already bore witness to you,

**help…**

…**us…**

already adores you. It waits for you."

**hel…p…**

Mora felt like the world dropped from beneath her toes, it spun around her as she stared into the heterochromia eyes. Her knees buckled and she collapsed to them with a thud. The only thing keeping her torso from hitting the ground was the old woman holding her cheeks.

… **me…**

"From you, darkness shall be birthed. A hatred so raw… her life source will choke out. It eagerly awaits you to release it unto this horrid world."  
"Release her." Ganondorf's voice thundered around Mora, snapping her back to reality. She was still standing, clutching his arm, her nails biting into his skin hard enough to draw blood. When he spoke, the witch turned to him, licking her lips.  
Though, she dared not touch him. "The promised Gerudo King." She purred.  
Mora gripped her head, she didn't know if it was the effect of whatever the woman did to her or what, but she couldn't focus right. Before them stood two women, one in blue, one in red. She blinked again. The woman was alone, just her, once more.

**He…**

"The wheels of fate have already started spinning, it is too late to stop it." She looked over at the guard, seeing they were starting to grow curious. She turned back to Ganondorf, finally grasping his hand between hers. Ganondorf tried to pull his hand away but her hold was strong, keeping him right where she wanted him. "Naïve prince, naïve King. Naïve with love. Your trust will be your downfall. Your desire to protect will be your power. Listen to your heart of hearts if you want to undo a curse long in the making. Trust in your power."  
She finally released Ganondorf, watching him yank Mora away from her. She gave him a grin, showing off incisors that were elongated. "I had always hoped I would live to see the end."  
"The end…?" Mora rasped, her voice was hoarse as she tried to swallow nothingness, her tongue felt like sandpaper in her mouth.  
"Why… the end of the world, my sweet child." The woman let out a cackle of laughter, her eyes wide and insane as she watched them back away towards the safety of the sands. "What can be reborn, if it does not die?!"

**shall…**

Ganondorf slid his arm around Mora's shoulders and under her knees, easily picking her up and carrying her away from the boy named Shilo and the crazed old woman. He made quick work of the rocky stairs that led back home, not risking the glance that Mora did to see the scene they left.  
The Hylian guard surrounded the woman, hands on the hilts of their swords. Mora's ears felt like they were clogged, she couldn't hear anything besides her heartbeat and the voice shouting in her head.

…**live…**

Shilo disappeared into the shadows beyond the tent, his eyes meeting hers. The witchy woman only cackled more as the guard shouted something at her. She fell to her knees, arms stretched out before her.

… **for… ever…**

Gan wanted to run, wanted to put as much space between himself and the crazed woman. The hand that she had grabbed felt like it was on fire. His head was foggy as he struggled to think straight. He just knew he needed to calmly put on foot in front of the other. Mora was whimpering in his hold as he moved to the outskirts of the oasis spring, changing his direction to the old watch tower they had come from. They could stay there for the night, try to understand what the hell just happened with that woman.  
"I won't ever let you decide what we do for fun again." Gan whispered, pressing her face to the side of her neck, feeling her relax almost instantly at his jab.  
Mora let him carry her, unsure if her legs would work correctly if he set her down and asked her to walk. "Gan… I don't-"  
Gan hushed her, cooing softly to her as he walked quickly to the watch tower. It felt like an eternity, but it must not have taken that long for Gan to carefully set Mora down on the little loveseat inside. He sat on the ground next to her, his hand finding hers again.  
Silence settled between them once again.  
"What the hell was that, Gan?"  
Gan sat silently next to Mora, his fingers locking with hers as he tried to think of words. "Maybe she was just trying to scare us."  
"No. That wasn't to scare us." Mora whispered, squeezing his fingers back when he squeezed hers. "I don't want to die, Gan."  
The words made Gan flinch; he hadn't processed the words that had been spoken to her yet. "I won't let anything happen to you." He shifted to his knees, pulling her into a soft kiss. "Nothing will happen to you as long as I live, okay?"

…**forever…**  
"Hey... Mora..." Ganondorf pulled away from her lips some, his body aching as he spoke the words he didn't want to say. "That woman... she seemed so familiar..."  
Mora looked up at her friend, his eyes were wide and filled with worry as she watched him. She tried to remember if that woman had ever been to the village before, but she couldn't remember anyone who looked like her. Ubo would probably know. But Mora wasn't sure they should ask someone for advice on that subject.


	5. Gifts

"I'm going out with Talo! We're going to the Oasis for the day!" Mora called over her shoulder when a taller Gerudo girl stepped into the doorway, her dark red hair twisted into a bun on the top of her head.  
"Be safe!"  
Mora and Talo walked in silence through the streets, almost as if they were ignoring each other. Talo was a slender built Gerudo, where most had hard muscle, she had soft curves. Talo nodded to the guard at the entrance when they walked through, her green eyes so dark they almost looked black. The only thing that kept Mora from being convinced of that was that in the right angle of sunlight, she could see the green. "You'll owe me for this, zewauni."  
Recently the women had been using that as a weapon against Mora, at least they tried. Mora loved the color of her hair, it gave her another difference from the Gerudo, she was easily spotted in the sea of red. "I know."  
"And when-"  
"And when you collect it will have interest attached." Mora tried to keep her smile civil, but it was difficult. Talo was the only girl left that she talked to, but that was because Talo wanted to be close to Ganondorf. She was being smart about it at least. She was nice to Mora in front of Ganondorf so that earned her brownie points with the prince.  
Talo grinned at Mora. "I'm glad we have an agreement."  
Mora stopped and watched as Talo kept walking towards the Oasis without the smaller girl. She looked towards the North, frowning as she looked towards the place of her nightmares.

By the time Mora reached her destination, the sun was high in the sky and she was all but drenched in sweat. She fished out her waterskin, taking a few gulps of the heavenly liquid. She glanced up the short cliff wall, her eyes narrowing as she found the very top of the cave entrance. She pushed the heel of her hand to her temple, trying to calm herself before her heartrate put her in panic mode.  
The voice in her head and hushed, but it had been replaced with that horrible hissing noise as she walked around the bit of cliff that jutted out, counting each step to keep herself calmed. She trotted to a few feet past the cliff face and dropped to her knees, digging around in the loose sand to claim her prize. Her fingers wrapped around the warm metal of the hilt on the claymore. With a glance to the sky, she frowned, the sun was quickly lowering, threatening to leave her in the dark on the way back home.  
Mora glanced back up at the cave, she felt like she could throw up from how nervous she was. She felt like something shifted inside of her as she stared at the cave.

**Yes…**

"No." Mora hissed and dropped her pack to the ground, tying the claymore to it as best as she could with twine and her patience. She slid the bag back onto her shoulders, wiggling some to get acquainted to the new weight on her back.

**Wait…**

Mora had turned to go when the voice whimpered, it sounded pathetic. "If you want to leave my head, you're more than welcome to do so." She laughed at herself. Talking to the voices in her head, now who was crazy? The hissing turned into a growl that sent a chill down her spine once more. She turned and trotted away from the cliff and its' creepy cave.  
Her body froze in place before she got too far away, though. Her instincts told her to stop, not to move. A predator was nearby, you don't run from that which is hungry. With a shaky breath, she slowly turned, her gaze going straight for the cave. It was her turn to let out a pathetic whimper as she stared into the darkness, two beady red orbs stared back at her.

**And if you gaze long enough into the abyss…**

Mora took one step back, then another, each one was slow and calculated, ready to take her as fast and far away as possible when she turned. The voice let out a hungry growl as she whirled around and raced across the sand. Mora felt tears spill onto her cheeks as she gnashed her teeth together, panic fully set in. She risked a glance over her shoulder, the orbs were gone.

**the abyss will gaze back into you…**

The voice almost sounded pleased with itself as Mora ran, panting as she raced the setting sun. She wanted her bed. She wanted Gan holding onto her, Nikesa telling her everything would be alright. Mora let out a cry when she tripped over her own feet, crashing to the ground where she lay, her whole being was numb with a mix of fear and worry.  
Why her? What did the voice want with her? Why was it so set on getting her to go back to that cave?  
Mora lay the for a little while longer, letting herself be forced into relaxation as the warm sand soothed her poor muscles. She needed to get home. Talo had said she wasn't about to hang out at the Oasis all night. She forced herself up, stumbling to her feet as she walked the rest of the way, able to see the village from where she was.

She was finally getting closer to the village, she veered off her usual path and headed towards the corner of the wall. She lowered herself down, making herself smaller as she moved quickly through the sand. With a quick glance towards the Eastern gate and the Northern gate, she made sure the guards weren't looking this way as she grabbed at gaps between bricks and pulled herself up.  
The top was uneven, like they had meant to make it taller at some point. She stayed low as she moved quickly across the top, dropping down to the aqueducts above the houses and stores. Mora looked up, seeing her house, and candles glowing from her position above. Nikesa was up. Sometimes she went to bed early, but sometimes she would get so into a book that she would stay up until the wee hours reading.  
Mora moved around to the back of the house and dropped down, easily slipping into her bedroom window. She moved slow and quiet, her eyes going to her bed, longing making her chest ache. She carefully set her pack on the floor, untying the sword from the bag and sliding it under her bed.  
"You know it's true, Nikesa."  
Mora froze, her head snapping to her door. That had sounded like the Queen. But to be out so late?  
"I know it is. I had honestly hoped they would see each other as… well… as more like siblings."  
"Perhaps if we had raised them as such, but I didn't think that was important at the time, just that he had friends."  
Mora slowly sat down, taking extra care to make sure she didn't make a noise now. The walls weren't the best at keeping secrets, and the two women thought they were alone, so they talked freely. The mixture made it very easy for Mora to listen in on the conversation.  
"I… came home one day a few weeks ago…" Mora could hear the sigh come from her mother. "He had almost kissed her…"  
Mora felt her heart race and her stomach twist and do flips as she thought of just how close Gan had come in that moment to kissing her for the first time. His lips were a lot softer than she had imagined they would be.  
"Nikesa… I'm sorry. I must think about the future of my people before I think of my own happiness. Or my sons."  
"I understand. What would you have me do?"  
There was silence for a moment before Eabim spoke again. "Either convince her to leave on her own or kick her out. You have until she is sixteen."  
Mora felt her blood run cold at the words, she heard her mother respond, but she didn't know with what words. She didn't hear much of anything else as she got up, her eyes wide as tears burned at the edge of her eyes.

**I can help…**

Mora ignored the voice as she moved to her window, she was quiet but just barely as she stumbled onto the little outcrop beneath her window. She dropped down to the street bellow and walked away from the house, her hand on the wall to steady herself. She moved through the twisting streets, stumbling until she reached the market square. Only a few women still wandered around, sweeping and cleaning up the outsides of their shops.  
Mora straightened up, rubbing her face as she walked around. The air was cooling rapidly the longer the sun was gone. A little under two years. That's all she had to prove that she wasn't a threat. To prove that she wouldn't be a distraction for Ganondorf.  
"Mora, good evening." One shop keeps waved to the small girl, giving her a warm smile. "You look like you could use a treat, I have some sweets left over, I can make some warm milk for us."  
Mora looked up at the woman, surprised that someone talked to her. She stared at for her for a moment before giving the woman a small smile. "Actually… yeah, if you don't mind?"  
The woman ushered her into the little shop, gesturing to the little table against the wall. "Of course, little shadow."  
Mora took pause again; she had been called the prince's shadow when she was little since she had followed him everywhere, she could possibly follow him. She looked down at her hands on the table. "Thank you, Teaka. Really."  
Teaka tossed a glance in Mora's direction, smiling more. "It's easy to tell when something is bothering you, little one. Is it the prince?" Mora's attention snapped to Teaka; surprise written on her face. "As I thought. What has you worried? You know my rules, what you say here will not leave."  
Mora hadn't talked to Teaka in so long, and when she had when she was a little girl, it had been over silly childlike problems. Not… being a threat to the village. "Eabim thinks I'm a threat to the-"  
"Because you are. I will not sugarcoat that, my sweet." Teaka poured some milk into a small pot and put it over the fire. "I only wish for a moment that you could look at the two of you through an outsiders' eyes. The prince adores you, just last week the both of you were in here, remember?"  
Mora had to think for a moment, but she finally nodded, laughing at the memory. "Yeah, Gan had that silly puzzle."

"_You have until tomorrow afternoon to figure out this puzzle, Ganondorf." Eabim held out a small wooden box, gesturing for her son to take it from her. _  
_Ganondorf took the box, frowning at it. "No hints?"_  
_Eabim shook her head. "At least not from me, I won't always be here for you to get help from. You can use whatever resource you find, any mind that's willing to help, but choose wisely."_

_An hour had passed since Gan had received the box from his mother, now he sat on the edge of the fountain in the market square with it. He let out a groan and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His shoulder length red hair fell around his face as he poked at the box in frustration. If he had his way, the stupid thing would be halfway across Hyrule by now and he would be pretending like it didn't exist._  
_He glanced up, seeing his favorite brunette walking around shopping once again, basket set on her hip and slowly being filled for the week. Gan jumped up and trotted over to her, smiling down at her. "Mo! I need your help with something!"_  
_Mora turned, her brunette hair lifting from around her shoulders. "Gan! Is everything alright?"_  
_"I…" Gan cleared his throat and looked away; his cheeks dusted with pink. He held the box up to her, letting her see it. "Yeah… I just… I need to figure out this puzzle and nothing I do seems to work on it."_  
_Mora switched him the basket for the small box, leading him into Teaka's shop where she waited for customers. She sat down at a table near the door and turned it over in her hands for a few moments. She could faintly hear Teaka cleaning behind the counter while Gan set the basket down and asked the older Gerudo for some tea and sweets. Mora set the box down on the table, a smile on her face. "I think I figured it out."_  
_Ganondorf's face lit up and he looked between Mora and the box, then realization hit him. She was going to make him open it on his own. "Mo…" He whined and plopped down in the chair, poking at it. "Come on, please. How do I open it?"_  
_"I'll help you, but I won't do it for you, Gan." Mora laughed and gave him a look, urging him to try again. "Is there something that looks odd about it to you?"_  
_While the two talked about the box, Teaka brought them their drinks and some sweets before settling down at her little bar. She sat with her back to the bar, keeping an entertained eye on the two troublemakers. Her expression softened as she watched them interact._  
_Gan was leaning over the table and the box, pushing and prodding at it, his long Gerudo nose colored red, along with the tips of his ears, out of frustration. His wide jaw was clenched as he forced himself to not gnash his teeth, too many times of Mora lecturing him about his teeth. His thick fingers had trouble pressing a small button on the side, where Mora slid in and pushed it just fine for him with her slender fingers._  
_A stray hair fell into Gan's face and he huffed at it, trying to get it to go away. Mora reached up when he kept puffing, easily tucking it behind his ear while he worked. It didn't take long, between Ganondorf stumbling around the puzzle and Mora carefully guiding him back to a piece when he would get distracted, but they finally got the box open._  
_Teaka moved in, curious as to what was in the box. Mora also leaned in, staring down into it. Ganondorf flipped it over into one hand, revealing a few gold rings. He slid them on his fingers, examining them with a smile. "Huh… I have a feeling I'll be getting presents like this for a while."_

Mora had been sipping her tea while Teaka retold a memory she adored, choking a bit on the sweet liquid. "I didn't push hair out of Gan's face."  
"Hm? You didn't?"  
"No… I don't think I did… I remember thinking about doing it… but…"  
Teaka grinned and drank from her cup, it didn't smell like the tea Mora drank, but it did smell of alcohol. "Ah, it was a small gesture, nothing to think too hard on, hm?"  
Mora felt her cheeks heating up and she looked away from the older woman. "R-right…" She looked at Teaka and set her tea down before leaning back. "What do I do, Teaka? I don't want to leave, but I don't want to hurt Nikesa or Gan… and I have a gift for Gan for his birthday… but…"  
"If you leave on your own, Eabim will be grateful, you will be doing her a favor. But you could also hinder the village. You leave… Gan could flip and go on a hunt to find you again. If Nikesa kicks you out, then everyone gets hurt and Gan is upset with Nikesa, who knows what will happen when Eabim steps down then." Teaka shrugged and took a long drink of her alcohol, eyeing the small girl. "Or, you say fuck that. Give Ganondorf the present you got him and stay here. You can be a threat, or you can put your tail between your legs and walk away."  
Mora's face twisted as she thought for a moment, trying to think of the best possible solution. "If I were you, I'd listen to what makes you happy. Not what would make Eabim happy. Not what would make Talo happy, or Kumi or Fern. You. What makes you happy, little shadow?"  
Without a second thought, without any care for who might be listening, Mora grabbed the edge of the table, her eyes wide. "Ganondorf. Adventuring with him, helping him with silly little puzzles. Seal surfing with him-"  
"Aye, I get the picture, little shadow. You needn't explain it to me." Teaka smiled when Mora bounced up, running for the door. When the girl stared wild eyed at the cup of tea and sweets, Teaka held a hand up. "You being happy is payment enough."

Mora winced as Nikesa tugged her hair into several tight braids, then into one bigger one at the base of her skull. She tugged at the silky threads that covered her tanned skin, feeling like she was getting plated up to be fed to the Molduga. She glanced back at her mother, a small yelp leaving her when Nikesa yanked hard on a braid. "Stop moving."  
Mora did as she was told and stopped moving, barely breathing if she could help it. Tonight, they were all celebrating Ganondorf's sixteenth birthday, and the official crowning of him becoming prince. He was one step closer to being king. "Did you get him a present?"  
"I did."  
"Will you tell me?"  
"You'll see it when all the others see it." Mora teased, smiling at the groan she heard from behind her.  
"You'll have to carry it there. You could show me then."  
"Actually, I put it in place last night. All cleaned and ready for tonight." Mora laughed when her mother huffed at her. "I want it to be a surprise, mom."  
"Fine." Nikesa thumped her daughter on the back of the head, releasing her from the torture of braiding hair. "Go finish getting ready. My old jewelry is sitting on your bed, you can wear that tonight."  
Mora wrapped her arms around Nikesa's waist, squeezing her mother. "Why do I have to get dolled up, again?"  
"Because, this is a special night for your prince." Nikesa kissed the top of the smaller females' head, smiling against the silky strands of hair. "Now, go. Or we'll be late."  
Mora ran to her room, looking down at the green necklace that matched her eyes and the earrings next to it. She quickly put the pieces on, fixing the deep green silk that covered her chest, arms and legs. She rubbed her belly, trying to get rid of the butterflies that stirred there.

Nikesa and Mora walked side by side through the streets, everyone was out as the sun began to set beyond the walls. When they got to the square, Nikesa started to turn towards the left, but Mora pulled her towards the center, sitting down on a bale of hay next to the fountain. "I want to sit here."  
Nikesa slowly sat next to her daughter, eyeing her curiously. "Here? Next to the water?"  
"Yup."

The night started with Eabim and Ganondorf coming down the stairs from the palace, Eabim was in flowy teal silk pants and a top that hugged her breasts while showing off her well-muscled stomach and arms. Mora often forgot how well built the Queen was, she was not a woman to be trifled with.  
Her attention turned to Ganondorf, he had done well on his word and was filling out with muscle. He had on a pair of pants similar to his mother, but they were a royal purple with a golden cloth wrapped tight around his waist. He too, showed off the muscles in his abdomen, but they were only peeking out behind a purple sash that draped around one shoulder and disappeared beneath the golden sash. He wore the golden rings that his mother had given him from the puzzle box and some new golden armlets and bracelets.  
Nikesa poked at her daughter, laughing softly. "Sigh any louder while looking at him and he might hear you."  
Mora gasped, quickly straightening up and tucking her hands against her lap. "I-I did not sigh."  
"It was rather dreamy, too." Teaka teased from the other side of Mora.  
Eabim read from an ancient text about how Ganondorf was destined to rule as King from the moment he was born, being the male born since one-hundred years ago. Mora could tell by the look in Gan's eyes that he was bored, but he also looked sympathetic as he looked around the square at each woman below him. His body softened when he looked to her, his shoulders pushed back, and his chest puffed up. Not that Mora was paying attention to those tiny details.  
Once Eabim was done reading the droll text, she waved her arms open, telling everyone to feast first, gifts last.  
Ganondorf made his way through the crowd after everyone got food, going to each and everybody to tell them thanks for helping him celebrate. Mora could tell he was deliberately leaving her for last, casting a glance in the direction she had been in last. Mora ate slow, watching the way the muscles in his back moved while he threw his arms out in grand gestures.  
"You'll be drooling soon if you don't stop staring." Nikesa and Teaka had been teasing the young girl since Ganondorf walked out of the palace, but she didn't care, she stopped caring after the first jab. She was young and could stare all she wanted.  
Finally, Ganondorf made his way to Nikesa, Teaka and Mora, sighing softly in relief. "Thank you, for coming tonight."  
Mora held up a piece of cool meat, holding it for him to take. "Eat."  
"Mora, I can't eat yet, I still have a few more to thank."  
"I think they'll forgive you. I could hear your stomach growling from three groups over." She scolded him, thrusting the meat at him once more.  
Nikesa only laughed at the two, waving her hand at Ganondorf. "Most of the women don't care about formalities. We only make you walk around like this so we can see what the ideal male Gerudo body looks like."  
Ganondorf's face exploded in every shade of red imaginable, his cheeks nearly matching his hair that was pulled back into a headdress and braided. "I-I… I…"  
"Mom is kidding." Mora pushed a half full plate towards him, tilting her head for him to have a seat. "You need to eat before you pass out."  
Ganondorf looked towards the last two groups he needed to say thanks to, smiling in relief when they waved to him. "Thank you, Mo." He took the plate and sat across from her, next to Teaka.  
The three watched their prince all but inhale the food, all trying not to laugh when he looked up at them, confused by their reaction. "I told you he was hungry." Mora gave her mother a look, her lips curled into a smirk.  
Nikesa gave a shrug and held out a drink to Gan, her eyes half lidded and a sly smile on her lips as she waited for him. Ganondorf didn't even sniff the drink, just started gulping it down. It took a few gulps, but the male Gerudo almost spat up the harsh liquid, his eyes wide as he looked at the cup once more. "Nikesa?!"  
"What?"  
"Is this alcohol?!"  
"Did you think I was going to drink tea on your celebration? Did you think you would be allowed tea or water on your celebration?" Nikesa let out a howl of laughter, as did a few others around their prince.  
"That's why you sniff your drinks. I learned at my birthday last year." Mora shrugged, smiling at Gan who slowly handed Nikesa her drink back. He eyed Mora's drink, his eyes pleading with the smaller female to let him wash the horrid taste of alcohol away.  
Mora finally broke and handed him her tea, letting him finish the glass off if he promised to bring her a new one. Gan finally waved thanks to the three before moving along, rubbing his belly as if he'd ate and drank too much. Mora let out another soft sigh, knowing her face was soft and dreamy as she watched the prince. "I hate to see him leave, but boy… do I _love_ to watch him go."  
Nikesa and Teaka both gasped, laughing at how brazen the girl was getting. "Mora! You haven't had anything to drink tonight! Watch your tongue." Nikesa gave her daughter a playful shove, laughing even more.  
"Mom, you've had two drinks. What should I say is your limit?"  
"Probably four."  
"Oh, goody. You're halfway there."

The night continued like that for a while, Ganondorf rejoined Mora and the two older Gerudo, laughing and making jokes with them as he drank. He was careful to not drink too much yet, he had to keep a clear head when receiving gifts. Eabim, as if sensing his excitement to be free to drink as much as he wanted, called for a toast and then for gifts.  
Mora sat there, her heart hammering against her ribs like it was about to break out of its cage while Ganondorf received sweets and trinkets from most girls his age. A few only gave him handwritten scrolls saying, 'Happy Celebration!' He picked up the last one, trying to hide the defeat in his shoulders when he still hadn't received anything from Mora. Her smile grew at the confusion on the prince's face.  
"Read it, Gan." Eabim harped, her voice tinged with drink as she tried to look around his shoulder.  
"It says… 'have everyone close their eyes, including your own. Make sure they're all closed until you hear the magic word.'" Gan looked to his mother, curious if it was one of her puzzles.  
Eabim shrugged and whirled a hand in the air. "You heard the note! Close your eyes, anyone peaks, you have sand seal cleaning duty for a month!"  
Mora looked around, waiting for each person to close their eyes before she quietly got up. Her steps were light as she trotted over to the aqueduct that ran next to the palace, to the garden of thick bushes just beneath. She pulled out the large, dark brown bundle she had hidden there the night before. She moved as quickly and as quietly as she could back towards the prince and queen, her cheeks bright red as she mustered up the courage to speak.  
"Happy birthday, my prince."  
Ganondorf's eyes were the first to open, a grand smile pulling his lips apart as he looked her over. Her long braid was frayed and over her shoulder. Between them was a large bundle that had Eabim ooing and awing over it. "What is it?"  
"Open it." Eabim sat up, the guard behind her leaned in, wanting to be one of the first ones to see whatever it was.  
Ganondorf slowly undid the knots along the length of it, pushing the dark brown cloth away from his gift. Mora felt her heart grow icy cold at the dropped jaws before her. "It's too much…"  
"It's perfect." Ganondorf purred as he freed the claymore from the cloth, not seeing the daggers Eabim dug into Mora's soul from across the table  
Mora couldn't help the smirk that crossed her lips for a moment before she bowed and backed carefully away from her queen and prince, leaving the prince to hold up the sword for everyone to see. Mora returned to her mother and Teaka, grinning at them. Teaka was all but beaming at the sight while Nikesa was in a jaw-dropped stupor. "Where… how…?"  
"I like to explore in caves, mom."

**Yes, we do… we should go back soon…**

Mora found herself slowly turning towards the Northern gate, her whole body froze when she saw two beady red eyes staring at her from the shadows. When she blinked, they were gone.

**we should go back soon…**


	6. Celebrations

The next day the village was alive again by midmorning, back to celebrating Ganondorf's sixteenth name day. As the prince walked through the crowds, girls his age showered him with flowers and jewels when they saw him. Most of the girls his age would steal him for a few minutes for a bite to eat or a drink. From where Mora sat on the wall, she could see the annoyance behind that cheerful smile.  
"Mora! You shouldn't be sitting on the wall!" Ubo shouted up to the young girl, clicking her tongue in annoyance when Mora just laughed at her. "You'll get hurt if you fall!"  
"I'll be fine, Ubo!" Mora bit a chunk out of the bread she had in hand. "I'll only break my leg."  
Ubo looked over her shoulder, seeing Ganondorf headed towards them. "Prince! Command your gorokastro to get down! She won't listen to me or any of my guard when she does this."  
"What makes you think she'll listen to me when the people with the pointy objects don't deter her?" Gan laughed and put his hands on his hips, looking up at Mora.  
Ubo gaped at him, her eyes wide. "But…"  
Mora looked the prince over, ignoring his pleased smirk as he watched her do so. He had traded in the purple silks for a thicker teal material. The material only covered from his hips down. "That color looks really good on you…"  
Gan gave her a toothy grin, his lips working faster than his brain did as he spoke. "They look even better on my floor." The three sat there in silence, waiting for someone to break the spell that had been put on them by Ganondorf's words. Ubo was the first to react, all but shrieking at the prince to guard his tongue in such a public space while Mora, red faced, hid behind her bread. "Well, it's true. Plus, these pants are itchy."  
Mora looked around, looking for the best route down while Ubo lectured Gan on how to talk around women. She started to slide forward to start her descent when she heard a whistle. She glanced down, seeing Gan with his arms out beneath her. "I'll break your arms."  
"You weigh ten pounds wet, Mo. It'll be fine."  
"Gan."  
"Mo."

**do it**

"I won't." Mora growled at the voice in her head as she braced herself and flipped around so she could start searching for a foothold, when she found it, her other foot began searching. She carefully lowered herself, finding her next foothold.

**fall**

Mora growled again, moving down and using her foot to search for the footholds. It was always easier going up than coming down. The next foothold was too far down, she'd have to trust herself to get her foot ready and in position while she lowered herself down. And land gracefully in the foothold.

**he can catch us…**

"Mora!"  
Between the voice in her head and the new voice behind her, Mora stiffened, clinging to the wall to keep herself from falling. "If you all would stop yelling and talking for five minutes!" She knew Nikesa was behind her, standing near Gan and Ubo, ready to chew her ear off. Soon a crowd would gather if she wasn't careful.

**he can-**

"Shut up! Dammit, just shut up!" Mora let out a shaky breath, steadying herself before she dropped down, catching herself on some bricks. She finished moving down, shaking her fingers out to wake them back up from hanging so long. She heard the rapid footsteps before she saw even hit the ground. Her arm lashed out, her hand wrapping around a wrist that was headed towards the back of her head.  
A gasp left Mora as she looked back, seeing Nikesa staring at her. Both watched each other for a moment before Mora yanked away, her head down. "I think I might still be clouded from drinks last night." She turned herself towards Gan, not looking up at him. "If it is alright with you, I might take my leave and go rest for a while."  
Nikesa seemed like she was almost in shock as she gawked at her daughter. "I think that's a good idea."  
"Only if I can walk you home to make sure you get home alright." Gan kept his face relaxed, not letting Mora see any emotions.  
"I'll be fine."  
"Then I want you to stay. I won't let you walk back alone."  
"What's going to happen to me, Gan? Nothing. I just feel a little ill."  
"Then I will walk you home."  
"Do we really need to have this argument?"  
"Until you let me make sure that you get home safe, yes."  
Mora let out a loud groan, rolling her eyes at him. "Fine. You're stubborn, and annoying." She led the way back home, staying quiet as Ganondorf followed her, but the Prince didn't want to follow behind her, he easily lengthened his stride and was next to Mora before she could quicken her pace.  
"When you yelled that second time, Mo… no one had said anything." Gan waited until they rounded the corner, easily grabbing her hand in his own.  
Mora chewed the inside of her lip, glancing down at their hands before looking up at him. "No?"  
"No. And you seem more irritable. Look, Mo. You know I'm here if you want to talk, I won't force you, I know I can't force you… but I know you need to talk to someone." Gan whispered as he paused in front of her house, his fingers squeezing hers.  
"I promise, I'm just tired. Really. That's it." Mora led him inside, knowing she should tell him to go back to his celebrations. "I've put you in a hard spot, I don't want you to have to pick between your people and myself. That's too selfish of me."  
Gan followed her to her room where she sat down against the pillows. He sat down closer to the middle, his fingers wrapping tight around her foot. "Let me worry about that, alright? Now, why did you yell like that?"  
"The… it told me to fall, it was trying to get me to fall. It kept saying you would catch _us_. Not me. Not it. _Us_."  
"I would have."

**I told you…**

"Stop." Mora's tone took on the same sharp ness that Nikesa's took on when something was testing her patience.  
Gan waited, squeezing her foot gently. He shifted, pulling her against him and squeezing her against him as she quietly fought off whatever was in her head. "It makes me feel crazy, Gan. I'm not crazy, I swear. There really is something talking to me."  
"I believe you." Gan tucked her against his chest, hiding her there.  
"It wants me to go back there…"

**I have so many stories to share…**

"Then let's go back. I can go with you to protect you."  
Excitement filled Mora, but it wasn't her own. It wasn't the jitters and belly flips that filled her when he said he wanted to go on adventures and cave delving with her. It was dark and hungry, a predator watching its prey draw near, eager for Ganondorf. "No. It wants you. It wants you to go there." Mora trembled at the anger that coursed through her at her own words.

**what are you doing!?**

"That is exactly what it wants."  
"You can't go on your own." Gan stroked her hair, trying his best to not mess up the intricate braids.  
"I can promise you right now, this thing in my head will have to use me like a puppet to get me there, ever again. I swear to you I won't go back, not without you. And you're never going there."  
"Promise?"  
Mora twisted in his arms until she could hold a pinky out to him, smiling. "I promise." Her smile grew when he wrapped his pinky around hers.  
Ganondorf leaned in, kissing her forehead before getting up. "I'll come check on you later, okay? You try to get some rest."  
Mora nodded, curling up in her pillows as she relaxed, letting silence surround her like a cold blanket.

The group, clad in their blue and silver armor, joked as they walked into the barracks. They started slowly unclipping their gear, tossing it idly to the side as they got into more comfortable clothes. "That guy was huge. I don't think I've ever seen a man so big!"  
"You're back on that again, Tanner?"  
"Yes! I can't get over it!" The youngest looking guard exclaimed, his brown eyes nearly bugging out of his head.  
"What is he yapping about now?" A large man called from the other side as he put on his armor for the day.  
"We were over by the Gerudo and saw this giant of a man! I've never seen a male Gerudo before, I thought the women were huge, but damn!"  
The big man went still, slowly turning towards the group of men. "A Gerudo male?"  
"Yeah."  
He stared at the group, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Did you happen to catch a name?"  
"No."  
The man tightened the last of some straps on his breast plate, his fingers shaking as he did so. "How old?"  
"Uh… I'm sorry, sir. I'm not very good at reading the Gerudo, especially a male I've never seen before." Tanner gave a shrug, frowning at the man.  
"Though, there was a Hylian girl with him. She looked to be a year or two younger than Tanner her. Sixteen maybe?" One of the guys chimed in, wiggling his eyebrows. "She had the curves of a girl older than that though. Maybe that's why the Gerudo kept her under his arm."  
"Shin!" Tanner gasped, smacking the man next to her. "The princess isn't much younger than that girl was!"  
"Bull! The princess is ten! This girl had to be sixteen! At minimum!"  
The big man rolled his eyes but took off, quickly leaving to go to the throne room. He cleared the stairs two at a time, his armor clanking around him as he puffed up the stairs. He didn't run, but he knew it was urgent to get to the throne room where the King and Queen took care of most of their business.  
He hadn't been paying attention and nearly ran over the small girl that stepped out in front of him. He skidded to a halt, staring bug eyed at the girl. "Pr-princess! What troubles are you up to today?"  
"I'm exploring the castle. Want to explore with me?" She beamed at him, her blond hair was all messy and she had dirt on her cheek.  
"Perhaps later, princess. I have to talk to your mother and father about some business that came up." He mused her hair and started to walk away when she cheered about possible adventures with him. He couldn't help but smile at the small girl as he continued through the elaborate halls.  
The man stopped, his hand inches from the door handle when it moved, and the door slowly swung open. He gawked at the woman who opened it, she was a little taller for a Hylian and her long blond hair cascaded down her back. Her blue eyes were bright in the darker halls, making the man give a nervous chuckle. "Captain Duske, I thought you were going out today?"  
Her voice was soft and sweet, any time Duske heard his queen, he immediately thought if sweet buns had a noise, it would resemble her voice. He scratched the back of his head, frowning at her. "My Queen. I'm sorry, but I come with ill news. I'm sorry, Queen Zelda. But… my men said they saw a male Gerudo."  
Every queen and princess that was born with blue eyes and blond hair was named Zelda. Duske didn't understand it, but the prophecy spoke of it so, the royal family followed it. This Zelda was young still, maybe late thirties, but not much past that. She had a cute button nose and those round blue eyes. She had a small mole next to her eye, adding to her beauty.  
Zelda bit her lip, frowning at Duske. "And you're sure of that?"  
"I trust my men." He gave her a defeated shrug. "They've been gone for a little over a month, but he was big and looked like a Male version of the Gerudo."  
Zelda gave a solemn nod, turning away from him. "Duske, will you stay and come to the Council with me? I would like for you to tell them what you've told me."  
Duske gave a nod, reaching out and touching her arm. "I'm not sure if its important, Zelda… but my men said there was a Hylian girl with him. I didn't get a description of her though, other than she was maybe sixteen."  
Zelda went eerily still, her jaw clenched hard as she turned and looked at him. The stiffness disappeared instantly, a warm smile on her face. "Leave that part out, understood?"

Ganondorf slammed his drink on the table, thumping his chest triumphantly as Ubo struggled to keep up. He let out a loud laugh and leaned back, glancing over when he saw Nikesa drinking wildly again. "Nikesa! Have you seen Mo?!"  
"You're so obsessed with her, Gan." A girl draped herself across his shoulders, rubbing her cheek against his. "She's at home sleeping and we're here with you, celebrating. But all you can think of is that stupid-"  
Ganondorf stood abruptly, the girl all but falling to the ground behind him. The eyes he turned on her were dark and angry. "That… what?"  
Ubo grabbed Ganondorf's wrist, yanking his attention back to her. "Why don't you go check on her, Ganondorf? And sober up before you do something you regret."  
"Would you please?" Nikesa had put herself between the upset prince and the Gerudo girl. "Make sure she isn't getting sick all over my favorite rug?"  
Ganondorf let out a snort and took off, his shoulders shook with anger and annoyance as he made his way towards Nikesa's house. "Young prince."  
The voice caught Ganondorf off guard, he whirled, seeing the old woman sitting against one of the houses again. "What?"  
"I was asked to give you this." She held out a small letter before slowly getting up and walking away.  
Ganondorf slowly opened the letter, his eyes narrowing on the words. He wasn't sober enough to read this right now.

Mora winced, a sharp pain in her pain rousing her from her nap. The world rushed around her; she could tell her eyes were open but… she couldn't see anything. She could feel the wind pulling at her still braided hair and moving across her exposed belly. She tried to breathe in deep and keep herself from panting as anxiety and fear settled in. She blinked rapidly, a pathetic noise leaving her. The more she blinked, the more she could see.  
Finally, a stone wall came into focus, looming over head. The whimper grew louder as she looked over the old ruins. She looked to her hand, seeing a cut in her palm and blood slowly dripping into a bowl off to the side of two heavy stone doors.  
Mora watched each droplet of blood hit the rusted metal bowl, 'tip…tip…tip' the noise seemed to echo around her. She felt the surge of magic pulse from the bowl as something red shimmered through the etchings in the pedestal that held the bowl and then up the doors.  
Another wave of magic had Mora yanking her bloodied hand to her chest, a sob broke from her throat as the doors groaned.


	7. City of the Dead

Tears burned down Mora's cheeks as she watched dust fall from the doors as they groaned open. The voice had been quiet up until now, it purred to her, let her know that satisfaction her fear fed it.

**Don't cry**

The tears choked her, fear burned through her body and made her joints weak as she stared into the abyss beyond the doors. "Where… where are we?" She shut her eyes tight, her body shaking as she fought off the sobs she wanted so badly to give into. They would do nothing to help her now. The darkness in her head let out a cackle before it spoke to her again.

**Well, little bird. You gave me a wonderful idea when you said I'd have to use you as a puppet to get you to come back here.**

"I've never been here…" Mora collapsed to her knees; an ugly sob broke from her throat. Her hand throbbed, her head was pounding, and her legs ached like she'd been walking all night. "What did you do?"

**It's been a long journey, my little bird. Welcome to my long-forgotten home…**

Mora's back arched as dread raked down her spine, leaving her lightheaded as the words formed in her head in a voice so dark and angry it dripped with the very essence of rage and malice.

**The City of the Dead.**

"My Queen, we have to do something." A male dressed in all white with a beard that went down to his belly pleaded from where he sat. On either side of him were five others in similar white garb, all waiting for the Queen and King to respond.  
Duske stood at the doors, ready to keep someone from entering. Or leaving. He watched the eight people in front of him, they had called an emergency Council after Duske had informed the Queen of the Gerudo male. He had told the Council, and King, everything he knew and had told the Queen. Minus the Hylian girl. The Queen was so adamant he leave that girl out. He didn't know what any of this meant, but he had been instructed to get as much information on the Gerudo man from his men as possible without letting them know there was a Council meeting about it.  
"Releasing _that_ on the world will only cause more problems. What if the Gerudo raised the boy well and he isn't even a threat? If, and I'm sure, it is Eabim's child, then he is sixteen already and will be going on a journey so he can meet the different races. We will be the last to see him and we can test his personality to make sure he isn't… power hungry." Zelda was calm, her hands folded in front of her as she stood before the sages.  
"Don't be so naïve, my love. They are savages." The King groaned; he was a fat little man. His hair was graying and untamed as it bunched at the back of his neck.  
The Queen turned to him; her eyes wide as she stared at him. "Naïve? You dare call me… naïve? Last time I… we talked to the Gerudo; they made no ill intentions made. Queen Eabim wanted nothing but for this peace to last. She entrusted us with the information that she was with child." Zelda squeezed a hand to her belly, the tip of her nose and ears were flush as she fought off emotions. "Do not tell me that Eabim would raise her son with ill intentions towards the kingdom of Hyrule. If anyone knows what's at stake with a male Gerudo, it is her."  
The king went to touch her arm, but she ripped away from him, taking several steps away from him. In that moment, the air in the room became thick with betrayal. The Queen told everyone with those motions that she had no desire to be touched or even near the King. "Zelda…"  
"You are so quick to turn on a group of people. And all because of some… of some stupid prophet told by an old witch." Zelda turned those pain filled eyes to the woman in the middle of the six sitting before her. "This is the first male born to the Gerudo in a very long time. He is a blessing to them. And you all curse him. Give them a chance to prove you wrong."  
"And what if we give them a chance and the prophecy still rings true, my dear?" The King stared to plead, but he quickly shut his mouth. The brilliant blue eyes were void of any affection, of any emotion besides pure anger. His words had cut through the façade that Zelda wore in front of anyone that wasn't her mirror.  
Duske watched the anger turn into rage as the Queen took a step towards the King. He noticed the worried glance in his direction from the King. But Duske swore loyalty to the throne, the blood of the Goddess. And thus, Zelda.  
"You. You are worried… about a prophecy that died sixteen years ago." Zelda's voice was quiet, a near whisper as she hugged herself, fighting the urge to lash out at the King. Her anger spilled over in the form of hot tears down her cheeks.  
Duske looked away from the Queen, but he knew someone who cared needed to witness her story. One look at the six just beyond the blond beauty told him that at that moment, he was the only one that truly cared about the Queen. He tilted his head, Zelda's words striking a chord. Nearly sixteen years ago, the Queen had learned that she too, along with Queen Eabim, had been with child. Rumor had it that Zelda's babe had been still born. But what Zelda just said… had the King had a hand in that?  
"You wouldn't even let me in the room to see her!"  
"I am aware."  
Duske bit his lip, trying to remember the prophecy the old bat up top had foretold back when the King and Queen had been joined in marriage. As if reading his mind, the words were spoken out loud.  
"Green eyes release. Green eyes hold. Green eyes shall bear witness to darkness reborn."  
Everyone turned their attention to the old woman, she leaned in, staring down at Zelda. "You did not give her a burial. There are no mourning plaques for the child. What did you do with the babe, Zelda?"  
"Wouldn't everyone in this room like to know?" Zelda turned her back to them, her eyes locked on Duske. "I will speak no further of releasing evil. I will have no part of it, nor will my daughter." She was almost to Duske when the woman spoke once more.  
"You forget your place, Zelda."  
Duske's hand was on the door, ready to push it open for his Queen. He looked up at her, the sweet smile that was on her face was a lie. If it wasn't beneath her, she would probably become the evil they spoke of to rid herself of the people in that room. But she turned on her heel, giving them that sweet smile. "I think it is all of you that forget your place. I don't need a Council. I have one because it was expected of me. I do not need a King. I only need his seed to give me a daughter that is blond of hair and blue eyes. I will dismiss all of you if this is brought up one more time. If you so much as breathe in the direction of the Gerudo prince… I will dismiss you."  
She turned back to Duske, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take me to my quarters, Captain Duske?"  
Duske gave her a slight bow and held the door open for her, letting her leave before he slammed the door behind them. He held his arm out for her, walking her down the hall. "Thank you for slamming the door. I needed that."  
"Whatever you ask of me, my Queen, and I will do my best to fulfill."

Ganondorf stared at the empty bed and the mess on the floor. He leaned down to get a closer look at the mess on the floor. It didn't appear to be vomit. Though, it was sticky when he poked at it. He grabbed his head, he needed to sober up. He quickly looked around the house one more time, not seeing Mora anywhere. He stumbled out of the house, passing the old woman again.  
Gan froze, turning to the woman. "Who gave you this letter?"  
"Why, your little shadow did. She said it was meant for your eyes only."  
Gan gripped his head once more, growling at himself. "She's out here somewhere sick and I've been drinking-"  
"Oh, she didn't look sick. Maybe… a little annoyed, but not sick. She said she didn't want to interrupt your day when I asked why she couldn't give it to you herself."  
"Fuck." Ganondorf gave a weak wave before walking away. "Thanks." He stumbled a bit, stopping short of the market square, watching everyone celebrate in his name. He looked down at the letter in his hand and carefully slid it into the belt line of his pants. His eyes scanned the people, seeing Nikesa walking around with a drink in her hand.  
He started to walk towards Nikes, not sure how he was going to tell her that her daughter was missing again. Especially with the events of from a few months back. And then he saw Ubo walking around not too far from where he was standing. "Psst! Ubo!" He kept his voice a whisper as he tried to quietly grab her attention. "Ubo!"  
His guard slowly turned, a smile on her lips as she moved to his side. "Yes, Ganondorf?"  
Gan let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. "How do I sober up? And fast?"  
"You want to sober up? But the party-"  
"I don't care about the party right now, Ubo. I have something that came up. Can you cover for me? Say I... that 'started getting sick, or something." Gan gave the guard a pathetic look. "Please?"  
Ubo watched her Prince for a moment, frowning at him. "Is something wrong with Mora?" Her dark eyes narrowed when he didn't answer immediately. "What has happened?"  
Ganondorf pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, wishing the cloudiness of alcohol away. "I don't… I don't know yet. But I can't tell Nikesa anything, I don't want to worry her if this turns out to be nothing."  
"If what turns out to be nothing, Gan?" Ubo pressed, her hand on his arm.  
Gan pulled away, looking away from Ubo. "Can you cover for me or not?"  
"Fine. But when you get back, you're to tell me _everything_, understood?" All she got was a nod before Gan took off, ducking around the buildings as he headed to the palace, going the long way to avoid any party goers'.  
Gan slid into the palace without trouble due to his mother and palace guards being down attending the celebration. He took the stairs to his room two at a time. When he got there, he stopped and stared at his bed. Where did he even start? What did he take with him? With a frustrated sigh, he stripped from the fancier teal colored pants. He grabbed his thicker pants and shirt that he usually wore when he would spar with the guard during morning practice.  
When he was dressed, Gan grabbed the claymore that Mora had given him. He attached it to his hips with a sash around the waist. He glanced over, seeing the letter with his name on it. He opened it; his chest was tight as he read the words.

_Gan,_  
_I'm sorry, I know I said I wouldn't go, but I must know what this thing wants. I need to be able to protect you. I hope to back in a few days, if mom asks, I went to stay at the watch tower for a few days to cool off._  
_With love,_  
_Gorokastro_

Gan stared at the words, his lips pulling up in a snarl at the way she addressed herself. She hated being called a beast. "What the hell, Mo?" He tossed the letter on his bed and trotted back downstairs to the throne room, glancing around before he started for the front. If he went that way, everyone would see him and wonder what he was doing. He looked to the back of the room, seeing the wide opening that overlooked the sands.  
He was a decent climber, not as nimble and quick as Mora was. But his reach helped him to keep pace with her. With a gulp, he jumped over the small pool of water behind the throne and to the opening. He glanced down; he didn't have time to second guess himself as he started his descent down.

Something willed Mora back to her feet and beyond the doors, she tried to fight it but no matter how much she screamed at her body in her head, her legs wouldn't stop moving.  
**I should have grabbed a torch before we left. Oh well, there's plenty of flint and old torches in here to help you see.**  
"Why me?"  
**You're the one that came to me, little bird.**  
Mora leaned down once she was a few feet in, her fingers wrapped around two black rocks. She looked up, seeing the wall torch was still in its' place. "I told you! I've never been here before!"  
**But you have. Hurry up and light the torch, I'll show you.**  
Mora gritted her teeth as her body obeyed the command. "Why are you doing this?!"  
**Stop shouting. You're no good to me if you're dead. The dead really do not like when someone is noisy in their home. I thought I told you to stop crying.**  
Mora could feel the tears running down her cheeks, but she wasn't whimpering and sobbing anymore. When the torch was lit, she grabbed it from its' mount and carried it with her. Her feet led her past several doors and old decorations. There were several pots and tapestries that were half eaten by some kind of bug or vermin. Everything had a small version of the Gerudo symbol on it somewhere. "What is this?"  
**Stop being impatient. I'm showing you how we met, then we can go into the details of who I am.** The voice purred as it echoed around her. It led her down the long corridor, making her stop in front of an old door that looked like it was half rotted. **Open the door.**  
Before Mora could snap about how she didn't want to, her free hand moved, pulling the door open with ease. Her chest grew tight as she saw a large crate in the way of the doorway, and just beyond that was a small hill of rocks. She looked up into the darkness, knowing she had escaped back up that way just a few months ago. "I…"

_Mora let out a shriek as the wall behind her, and the floor beneath her gave way. Before she knew it, she was falling down a hill of rocks, crying out when she finally hit the ground at the bottom. She slowly lifted her head, whimpering as her body cried out in pain. She started to move when something hit the back of her head._  
_Darkness seeped into the room, shying away from the fading fire of the torch that lay near the girl. It slithered across the floor and rocks much like a snake. It poked and prodded her arm, wrapping around the limb and giving a tug._ **Wake up child…** _The darkness moved across the body, searching for any broken bones, only to find none. She was just knocked unconscious, nothing the darkness could do for her._  
_It coiled up in front of her, away from the dying torch as it watched her. The longer it sat there, the more it sensed something nearby. The darkness slipped around the crates and under the rotting door, nothing was approaching this room. It slid back under the door and to the girl._ **Oh? It's you?**_The darkness purred and slid along her body again, searching for the pinpoint of energy coming from her. It let out a purr of a noise and spread out over her, covering her skin in the sticky darkness before seeping into her skin._

Mora stumbled back, falling on her ass as she came back to her own eyes. "Ew! You… you… What the hell!?" She rubbed her hands on her pants, trying to get the gross feeling off her skin. "You… just… like… melted into me?!"  
**I could have gone in through your mouth, going in through your skin is a lot less disgusting, trust me.** There was a chuckle in that dark voice. **Come, let's go deeper. I have a story to tell you.**  
Just like before, Mora's body acted without her mind. "You're… controlling me…"  
**Thousands of years ago, I fought what you Hylian's called your Hero and Goddess,** The voice ignored her realization as she moved through the corridor, torch held out in front of them. **they used the- wait. Do you know what the Triforce is?**  
"Vaguely." Mora hissed through clenched teeth. "I know it's an artifact of legends, there's the triforce of power, the triforce of wisdom and the triforce of courage. The royal family guards it."  
**Hmm, you're smarter than you look.** The voice chuckled again, a disgustingly satisfied feeling washed over Mora before her own disgust took over. **Also, do you know, each time you've looked at yourself or done anything… really, I've always been there? At least, these last few months.**  
Mora wanted to stop and vomit, whatever was in her head had seen her naked. "Oh, my Goddess."  
Now that the girl was distracted, the voice started again. **I'm the owner of the triforce of power. The spirit of the Hero and the blood of the Goddess thought they were cute and locked me in a place where time stood still, I couldn't do anything. But the triforce of power followed me there. Eventually I found an opening and jumped through.**  
Anger made the voice hiss as if talking through teeth. **Low and behold, I couldn't do anything because as soon as I stepped out of the opening, I was torn in three and sealed away by the spirit of the Hero and the blood of the Goddess. The Hero was an idiot. He used the triforce to split my power into thirds and then wished everyone would forget about me, like I never showed up.**  
Mora looked around, listening to the voice tell his story. She started to feel bad for him, what had he done to be ripped apart as soon as he stepped foot here. But the fact that he was talking about how he was sealed away in an area where time didn't move? She shook her head, all that was too much for her to really comprehend.  
**So, here I am, enjoying my time as I seep from the curse they put on me when this princess falls in my lap-**  
"I'm not a princess."  
A chuckle made Mora shiver, but the voice continued. **You are to me. But now, I can finally be set free. Time has done half the battle for me, when you seal something away, you should always check on the seal. They never seem to hold. Though, your royal family was smart and sealed one part of me beneath their castle, they refresh the seal on that every twenty years or so. But they can thank the Hero when they finally realize there has been more than one seal this whole time.**  
Mora paused in front of a set of large doors, craning her head back to see the top of them. She started to reach for them when her body stopped abruptly. **We have to be careful here, I've had some time to call my pets to me. You make too much noise and I won't stop them from tearing you to pieces.**


	8. Patchwork Seals

The old woman from the council room straightened out the white clothes that flowed around her body and twisted around her legs as she walked the halls. As she wandered about, she listened to the guard talk about what they had seen on their patrols of the kingdom. She moved quietly and slowly through the corridors towards the dungeons, she hated that in order to get to the underground chambers she had to go through those thieves and monsters.  
When she got down there, she saw a member of the guard attempting to question an older woman about something that had happened a few weeks back. The Council woman laughed to herself, some days she found it hard to remember what all she ate the day prior. She started to walk by the two when the old woman in the chair snapped her attention to the council woman, the sight of the old woman had a cold chill running down her spine. One eye was bright red while the other was an icy blue. "How dangerous, dear sister, would it be, to unleash a beast when one does not hold a great Master?"  
Before the council woman could respond with something snarky, the old woman responded in a voice that was slightly smoother in pitch. "Why, my sweet sister, it would simply be… naïve."  
The council woman stared at the woman in the chair for a moment, swallowing the lump that left her throat dry. She turned down a hall to her left, her own brown eyes were narrowed as she moved as quickly as her old bones would allow her.  
She nearly jumped from her skin when a blond-haired male in Sheikah gear appeared next to her in the dimly lit hallway. "I would warn you to not sneak up on an old woman, Hero."  
The man rolled his eyes at her. "I have a feeling the Goddess would scorn us all and keep you alive, Irra." He shook his head at her once more, a frown on his thin lips. "I don't believe you have the correct 'Hero' I haven't been able to locate the Master Sword of Legends. The Queen seems to grow annoyed when she sees me in the library trying to find the old books on how to get to it."  
"Link, my dear, the Goddess reincarnates you in whatever form she deems necessary at the time. I can feel it in my old bones that you were born among the Sheikah for a reason. You are what we need, Link."

Ganondorf wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked through the sands. He wasn't sure of the exact location of the cave Mora had found those months ago, just that it was to the North. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing his village off in the distance, frowning at him as he walked away from the safety of its walls. He climbed a dune, easily leaving the village behind as he slid down the other side of the dune.

Duske opened the door to the sitting room before the Queen's private quarters. He watched as she detached herself from his arm and walked inside, pausing long enough to glance back at the Guard Captain. "Duske, I'm sorry to bother you with such menial tasks, but would you go fetch my daughter? I do not trust those people to not trick her into doing something she doesn't understand."  
Duske gave a slight bow. "You know I don't mind, my Queen." He turned to leave, spotting a guard making rounds. "If you see the princess, bring her to the Queen! Let any of the others you see know."  
The other guard saluted, laughing a bit. "Yessir, I'll try my best, but that princess enjoys hiding in hard to reach areas."  
Duske frowned, sighing softly. "I know, that's what concerns me."

Princess Zelda ran down a set of old stone stairs, her chest tight as she moved. That old woman the guard had brought into the dungeons had stared right into her hiding spot. Right through her. Zelda knew she wasn't supposed to be in this area, her mother had forbidden it until she was older and could understand whatever it was that was down here. But she could go to the big doors and then back up. She did it often enough. She craned her head back, staring up at the etchings in the doors that loomed over her.  
Irra had said they were old Sheikah writings, warning little girls away from the depths of the castle. But Zelda saw no warnings, only pretty swirls and eyes that stared down at her. With a 'hmph' she turned to head back up the old stairs.

"I must ask, Irra, why are you so set in releasing the Malice?" Link asked as the two headed down the old stone stairway.  
"How long has it been since you've seen the seal, Link?" The two knew the answer to that question. Link had never been close enough to get a proper view of the old seal. "It needs to be redone, it looks like patchwork, and the only way to do that is to temporarily break the seal and create a new one."  
"We would need the Master Sword to weaken the Malice again. We don't currently have that vital piece."  
"The Master Sword will reveal herself in due time, Hero. Keep trying for now. The Queen is due to reseal the monstrosity in a few weeks, it will hold until the next sealing after that, I would think."  
Link paused on the stairs; his blue eyes narrowed. "So, why are we going down to it now?"  
Irra looked at Link, frowning at him. "I won't lie, the monster scares me, I come down here sometimes to make sure it is still in place."

Before Zelda's foot hit the stairs, she froze. She could hear the echoes of voices above her in the winding staircase. She looked around frantically, trying to find a spot to hide. But there was nothing. As if hearing her silent pleas, one of the large doors quietly creaked open, allowing her somewhere to run. And allowing her to see the secrets her mother kept from her.

Gan let out a growl as he pulled himself up and over the cliffs edge. He looked to his right, seeing an old cave looming. He started towards it when something just beyond caught his attention. There was something on the cliff walls just past the cave. He moved past the mouth of the cave to get a better look, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head when he saw the ruins of an old temple loom over a clearing there. He looked around, seeing a canyon that led to the clearing. If he had found that path and followed it, it would have taken him another few hours to find the ruins. With a satisfied grunt, Gan looked for the easiest route down and began his descent towards the open temple doors.

Mora kept the warning in mind as her hands pushed the doors open. As soon as the doors were opened, she fought whatever controlled her, not wanting to move beyond. She stared in awe at the crowd of monsters that moved aside to let her in.  
**What? Do you not trust me to keep them from attacking you? I'm hurt. **  
Mora let out a weary laugh. "Oh, yes, I trust the voices in my head."  
**Voices? Why, there is only you and I up here.**  
Mora let out a huff and started to move forward, knowing she wouldn't be allowed to back track now. She looked over, seeing an old bow with a quiver of arrows laying in front of a monster. If she wasn't scared witless, the monsters' pig-like face might have been cute to look at.  
**Go ahead and take that bow if it'll make you feel better. **  
Mora hesitated, she and the voice knew that when it came down to it, a flimsy bow and a quiver of maybe ten arrows would do nothing to help her here. She let out a hiss and grabbed the quiver, awkwardly attaching it to her hip before snatching up the bow.  
Holding her chin up, making her way through the monsters when they parted ways for her. They all watched her with dark eyes, some monsters towered over her while others were hunched over and matched her height.

Zelda turned to the doors, glancing over her shoulder as the voices grew louder. She could run and hide, or she could get caught and face the consequences. Without a second thought, Zelda booked it through the door. Her small, blond ponytail bounced around behind her as she ran. She looked for hiding spots as she moved, but there were none. She trotted down another set of stairs, running past a stream and glowing rocks as she hunted for a hiding spot.

Ganondorf didn't hesitate at the doors, only rushed through them. He grabbed a lit torch from the wall, frowning. Mora had to be in the belly of this tomb by now. There was no way these torches that lit the long hall weren't the small Hylian girl.  
As he moved through the tomb, he noted all the old Gerudo relics. A part of him wanted to grab as much as possible to take home and show his people. He turned away and walked quickly through the halls, his eyes found an open door that was blocked by a crate on the other side. He stared for a moment, his chest growing tight. If only he had been with her, maybe she wouldn't be in this mess.  
Gan turned from the door and picked up his pace, he had to find Mora, he had to protect her no matter the cost. He moved as quick, but quietly as his long legs would allow. He wanted to go into a full out run, but gut instincts told him that would be a stupid idea.

Mora reached the doors on the opposite side of the room, her legs ached from all the walking, but there was no rest for the wicked here. Her hand that held the torch moved without her consent again, making her growl to herself. She watched the flame of the torch leap onto whatever was in a stone bowl next to the doors. The flame disappeared into a small hole next to the door and raced along the wall in the room she and the monsters occupied, her jaw nearly hit the floor as the room lit up as the flames raced around to small bowls in various places on the walls. Hundreds of monsters took up every inch of the room around her. "What in the hell…?"  
**I suppose you could say this is hell. I like to think of it as home.**  
Mora pressed her back to the doors behind her, dropping the torch at her feet. She watched as one of the red pig-faced monsters reached down, picking the torch up. Another one stepped up next to the first and carefully pushed her to the side, opening the doors for her. "Why aren't they attacking me?"  
**They are better mannered than that.** The voice scoffed in her head. **Besides, they know I'll kill them if they hurt you without my permission.**  
Mora turned and looked into the room beyond. The sight had her heart dropping into her gut.

Zelda ran across an old bridge; her eyes scanned the area for a hiding spot. It was all smooth walls! Where was she to hide?! She rounded a corner, sighing in relief when she saw a hole that looked to be just her size.

Irra and Link traveled slowly next to the stream, silence hung between them as they moved. It wasn't long before they were over the bridge and walking into a chamber. Link let out a gasp as he stared at whatever was beyond. "That's…"  
"Much worse than I thought it would be. Link, do this old woman a favor and go on ahead of me, Queen Zelda needs to come down here and do the seal again." Irra told Link as she looked deeper into the chamber. Darkness oozed from an old chest that had teal colored magic around it. With a frown, the old woman turned and headed off after Link.  
Zelda peeked out from her hiding spot, watching the old woman walk away. She could hear the echoes of Link's rushed steps as he ran off to find the Queen. The princess waited until she could no longer hear the shuffling steps of the old woman before she wiggled from her hiding spot. She slowly turned when she heard a hissing noise right next to her. A scream threatened to rip from her throat when a snake of darkness loomed over her.

Gan had thrown caution to the wind and ran through the corridors, the worry for Mora keeping him running. At least until he reached a room full of monsters. He came skidding to a halt, nearly falling on his face. He stayed still, waiting for them to turn towards him, but they kept their eyes on the room beyond their own.  
As quietly as he could, Ganondorf freed the claymore from his hip. He put one foot in front of the other as he made his way through the sea of monsters. One turned its ugly pig face towards Gan, sniffing at him. Satisfied, the monster turned its attention back to the open doors.  
Gan moved to the doors, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he stared at the scene before him. Mora was halfway up a set of stairs, a… beast… man… thing, clad in all black- no, it was darkness taking the shape of a man, stood before her. Gan couldn't see eyes or a mouth on the man, but he could feel its attention on him for a split second.

Mora looked up into Gan's face, her own eyes clouded with a darkness as she leaned into him. "Gan, I just want to be able to protect you."  
Gan looked beyond Mora for a moment, a smirk spreading on his lips. "I know, Mo." He cupped her cheeks, pulling her into a gentle kiss.

Ganondorf let out a growl when the darkness spoke softly to Mora and pulled her in for a kiss. They were speaking too softly for him to hear from where he was at. He wanted to run up there and rip Mora away from the darkness, but something told him that if took another step it could end badly. "Mora…"  
Mora slowly turned when she heard her name, her usually bright, beautiful eyes were dull and void of recognition. Gan watched in horror as the man wrapped his arms around those slender shoulders, a finger tracing her soft jaw before pulling away. Gan dropped to the ground with an 'oof' as an arrow whizzed over him. He looked up, seeing Mora had the bow up in front of her, a hand pulled back after having loosed an arrow at Gan.  
"Mora!" He shot up, taking two steps towards her when he saw darkness clinging to her limbs and exposed belly. "Bastard... let her go!" He didn't know who or what he was yelling at, but he didn't care. He just knew it was using Mora like a puppet.  
Mora knocked another arrow, her eyes trained on the Gan at the bottom of the stairs. "What are you waiting for? Kill the imposter." Ganon whispered from behind her, a hand skidding down her side to her hip, gently squeezing her plush skin.  
Gan gawked at the hand on her hip, his eyes wide. "Oh, now isn't the time to get jealous, Gan." He whispered to himself. He couldn't help himself though. "So, you'll let him touch you like that but _I_ have to ask before I can hold your hand? That's hardly fair."  
He smirked when the girl twitched, life returning to those beautiful green eyes. Before either Gan could react, Mora grabbed the arrow, slamming the head into the darkness behind her. She grabbed her head, dropping both the bow and the arrow as she stumbled away from the darkness.  
The darkness reeled back some, a snarl leaving it as it shifted and moved towards Mora. It stopped short, as if it couldn't go any closer. **Mora… we had a deal. I'll help you protect your Gan, and you'll help me out.**  
Gan bounded up the stairs, yanking Mora against him. He kneeled in front of her, cupping her face. "Mo listen to me; it's all going to be okay. Just breathe."  
**Open it, Mora.**  
Mora leaned into Gan's hands; her breath shaky as she tried to focus on him. Her head was pounding as she fought the voice in her head. "Gan… I'm so sorry, I-" She opened her eyes as a whimper left her, darkness clouded her eyes once more.

Irra slowly turned when she heard a muffled noise from behind her. Rubbing her arm, she turned and headed back towards safety. The malice had always made horrible noises, always tried to get someone to help it.

Zelda looked up from the book she was reading when the door to her sitting room was ripped open. She started to bark an insult at whoever had opened the door without her permission when she saw Link. The Hero was panting as he stared at her with wide eyes. "Link? What's wrong?"  
"The sealing can't wait; it needs to happen today." He panted, standing in the doorway. "I swear, I'm not trying to trick you, I see that look in your eyes, I'm not. I swear it. The malice is seeping out even more, Irra sent me. Please, Zel."  
Zelda let out an irritated noise, her brilliant blue eyes narrowing. "So, help me, if you people don't drop this-"  
"Zel!" Link finally crossed the invisible boundary he had always set for himself. "Would I really come bother you if it wasn't urgent? If you don't hurry-" Both of them went eerily still, dread filling them as they stared at each other.

Princess Zelda looked curiously at the all black dog that formed before her, wagging its' tail as it led her closer to the chest in the center of the chamber. **There's more in here, you want one? You can have one, your mom said it was okay.**  
Zelda stared up at the chest in front of her, her eyes clouded over as darkness crawled up her arm, pulling her hand towards the chest. "I've always wanted a puppy."  
**I'll get you a puppy as soon as you open that chest there, princess.**

Darkness seeped from the chest in front of Mora, thick and sticky as it dripped to the ground, reaching for her as she reached for it. Gan went to grab Mora, to pull her back, when the darkness in the shape of a man was in between them, a hand on Gan's chest. **And what, do you think you're doing? I'm not quite ready for you.** The darkness purred and gave a push while at the same time tripping Gan. It watched as Gan tumbled back, rolling to his feet on the stairs.  
"Who are you? What do you want with Mora?!"  
**As much as I hate to admit it, I need someone who shares the blood of the royal family to break the seal.**  
Gan tried to move but his legs wouldn't work. He looked down, seeing darkness was wrapped around his ankles, keeping him in place. "Mora isn't of royal blood."  
**Huh… well, if that's the case, then she wouldn't have been able to open those doors to get it. And, if that was just a fluke, then this won't work. She'll simply touch the chest, and nothing will happen.**  
"Mora! Wake up!"  
**Oh, she's awake. She's just not in control. I am.**  
Gan stared at the man made from darkness, his eyes wide as he gnashed his teeth. "Who are you?!"  
**The reason you are born every few centuries.** The purr hung between them for a moment, a sneer in the voice as he continued. **I am Demise. I am Malice. I am Rage. We are the calamity.**  
The last word hung in the air as Mora's fingers brushed the chest. Magic exploded around her, casting the darkness from her skin. She stared in shock at her hand, seeing it was pressed firmly to the front of the chest. For a moment nothing happened, then the chest was ripped open.

Zelda eagerly reached out; dark goo covered her arm as she pressed her palm against the lock on the front of the chest. There was a moment when nothing happened, then the chest opened slowly. Darkness crawled out, covering the small girl.

Irra felt a rush of magic push by her, her brown eyes wide in horror as a black and red beast broke from the chamber she had been in moments ago. "Goddess Hylia, save us." The beast swallowed Irra before disappearing.

Link and Zelda were up and out of her chambers in the next heartbeat, running through the halls. The two stopped dead in their race, staring at the body of the small princess who lay twitching in the hall. "Zelda!" The Queen rushed forward, scooping her daughter up in her arms. "Oh, my sweet baby girl. What happened to you?"  
Link touched Zelda's shoulder, drawing his sword. "Zel, I'll be back."  
"Please hurry, Link." Zelda couldn't stop the tears as she wrapped her body around her daughters.


	9. Run

Time seemed to stand still as the beast filled the space above the two friends. It was a hideous thing, made of black goo that seemed to shimmer red in the faint fire light. The head of this new monster was long and reminded Mora of a pig with large tusks protruding from its snout. It shook itself, the black and red ooze flinging around the chamber. It slowly moved, casting a glance around until the burning yellow eyes landed on Gan and Mora.  
Mora and Gan looked up in horror as the large pig-faced monster stared down at them, hunger in those bright yellow eyes. "Mora… come to me."  
Mora did as Gan told her to, slowly backing up towards the prince, her eyes wide as she stared at the monster above her. "Gan… what did I do?"  
"He made you do it. You didn't do this. We'll go home…" Gan grabbed her around the waist, grunting when she dropped her weight against his arm to reach down and grab the bow. "Do you really need that?!" He snapped, giving her a push as he turned to run. "Go!"  
The two took off down the stairs as fast as they could, a roar behind them had them moving their legs even faster. Gan jumped down the last few steps, his long legs easily clearing them. He turned and grabbed Mora, helping her down the stairs. With a look up, he saw the monster was watching them, letting them have a head start. It wanted to play with its prey.  
They came to an abrupt halt when they broke through the doorway. "Shit." Ganondorf looked around the room at the monsters that waited for them. None of them moved, they were like hideous statues that just stared, waiting and watching. Mora carefully grabbed Gan's hand, pulling him behind her as she waded through the sea of monsters.  
Mora squeezed Gan's fingers until her knuckles were white from fear. The large doors had closed, leaving them locked in with the sea monsters.  
_Fire an arrow._  
Gan glanced over, taking half a step away from Mora, seeing determination in her eyes. "What's that look for?" He froze when she let out a yell while nocking an arrow on her bow. His green eyes were locked on the tip of the arrowhead, a deep red magic gathered there. The arrow screamed, whistling through the air as it headed for the door. "Did you… just waste an arrow out of anger?"  
**You brat!**  
Gan froze at the sound of the dark voice, it echoed around the chamber as the beast broke through the doorway behind them, sending monsters flying out of the way. At the same time, the arrow hit the doors in front of them, the world was silent for a moment before a wave of magic hit Gan and Mora, throwing them backwards as the world around them exploded.

Link ran through the castle, collecting a few guards on his way down, Duske was with him, right on his heels as they ran. Link was the first through the stone doors, pausing only for a moment to examine them. Nothing was wrong; besides that they were still open.  
Duske easily Kept pace with Link, despite being in heavier armor than the Hero. Link glanced back, seeing the other guards a few paces back, his eyes went to Duske again, his blue eyes meeting vibrant green ones. "What's the matter, Hero? Afraid of the monster? Don't worry, I am too." Duske let out a chuckle as they ran.  
Link let out a laugh as well, holding up his sword. "Why would I be afraid?" He laughed louder at the look he received from Duske, waving the guard captain off. "I'm kidding. I'm honestly very scared. I haven't been accepted by the Master Sword yet but I'm going to have to fight this monster."  
"You don't need the Sword, Link. You're a skilled swordsman, the best as far as I'm concerned. If it comes down to it, my men and I will be right beside you. As will Zelda." Duske spoke softly, his eyes distant as they crossed the old stone bridge.  
They rounded the corner, gawking at the mess there. Black and red gunk was stuck to the walls, floor, and pillars that jutted out from the walls. Duske slowly walked in, Link close behind. The guard captain let out a surprised noise when an eye opened before him. He lashed out with his sword, striking the bright yellow eye with the blade. They all watched as it exploded into tiny particles and disappeared. Duske turned and looked at Link, both giving an awkward shrug.

Zelda carried her daughter to her room, setting the girl down on the too large bed. She tucked the tiny girl into the sheets before she got up, going to search for someone to help her. She looked back, watching her daughter sleep. She had stopped twitching, but the stillness worried the Queen more.  
She walked through the halls quickly, grabbing the first servant she came across. "You, will you go fetch the Royal Doctor? And some rags? And water?"  
The servant gasped, eyes almost bugging from her skull when the Queen grabbed her arm. "Y-yes, m'lady! Right away, my Queen!" And with that the servant girl was running off to go do the tasks given to her.

Mora slowly rolled over, groaning as she sat up. She looked around slowly, the doors were blown wide open, all but obliterated from where they once stood. She shot up, immediately collapsing back down.  
What felt like an eternity passed before Mora's eyes fluttered open once again. "No, no, no… get up." She whimpered as she slowly moved again, pain searing up from her foot. She coughed, panting as she finally stood, unable to put a lot of weight on her left ankle. She looked around, desperation kicking in as she looked nearby for Ganondorf. She finally saw the bright red hair through the settling dust. '"Gan! Wake up."  
Mora rushed to his side, touching his face. "Come on, we gotta go." Her ears were ringing as she looked around, the beast was nowhere to be seen through all the dirt and dust that settled around them. "We have to get up, Gan."  
Gan let out a groan, leaning into her hand when she touched his cheek. His eyes slowly opened, and he looked up into her eyes, frowning at her. "What the hell was that, Mo? And can you never do that again?"  
"Don't ask stupid questions, Gan. I have no clue what that was. I heard something tell me to fire an arrow. So, I did the logical thing and listened. I already released the end of the world, can't do much worse than that." She helped him up, checking him quickly for wounds.  
Once the prince was up, they moved through the dust, being careful to not touch anything. They were halfway through the next chamber when they heard rumbling behind them. Green eyes met green eyes, quietly telling each other to keep moving. Gan picked up his pace until he was jogging, Mora running right behind him, the poor girl was limping, nearly stumbling to her knees several times, but she was moving. "Let me carry you, Mo." Gan started towards her, pausing when he saw movement beyond Mora.  
Mora started to argue when she turned to see what Gan was looking at. She backed up into him as the two watched the scene in front of them. Through the hole where the doors used to be, they watched one large clawed hand push out of the rubble, and then a second hand. They slammed to the ground, pulling the monstrous being from the remnants of ceiling and doors.  
Fear kept the two locked in place, shock crossed their faces as they watched the claws break into the ground, slowly pulling the beast from the debris. It shook itself free of dirt and bits of rock, looking around at the ground. It was looking for them, growling as it shoved debris and unconscious monsters around. **Using my power against me? Wait until I find you, you little Goddess blooded bitch.**  
Mora quietly climbed onto Gan's back when he kneeled before her. She bit her lip, trying to bite back the whimper as she pushed off her injured foot. Ganondorf hissed a hush at her, he knew it hurt but he needed time to put distance between them and whatever the hell that monster was.  
He stood, making sure to move slowly as to not attract attention. Once he felt he had his balance with Mora on his back, he took off. He moved around bits of door and wall that had been blown out into this corridor. "Keep an eye behind us, we might have to hide somewhere." He whispered breathlessly.  
"We might not get that luxury, Gan." Mora clung to him, careful to squeeze her arms around his shoulders and not his neck. Tears fell down her cheeks as she struggled to hold back her sobs. "Goddess forgive me. Gan, what did I unleash on this world?"  
Gan squeezed her thighs until she let out a sharp noise. "Mo, I love you, but I need you to hush until we're out of this tomb."  
Mora felt her cheeks warm at his words, he was flustered just like she was, but she could tell that he hadn't thought about what he said. She looked over her shoulder, her nails biting into the strong muscles in his shoulders as she tried and failed to not scream. "Run! Gan!"  
Gan gritted his teeth when he felt her nails bite into his skin, but that was all he needed to let him know danger had found them again. **Where do you think you're running to? I'm not finished with you yet!** The beast roared behind them, breaking an even bigger hole in the wall as it gave chase.  
Mora felt helpless as Gan carried her to safety, if she had still had that bow, she could have tried to fire another arrow. She watched as the beast started to gain on them, snapping its jaw in their direction. "Gan…" Her voice was a whisper as the sound of the beast grew louder, death approached them quicker with each passing moment. "I love you, too."  
The two broke free of the tomb, the sky was dark with night as Ganondorf turned, dumping a very surprised Mora onto the ground behind him. He wasn't sure what he was going to do as he pulled out the claymore, but he planted his feet, his eyes focused on the entrance.  
_If you want to protect her, raise your hand towards the door._  
Gan hesitated for a moment before raising his hand with his palm towards the door. A moment after he did, the monster made from darkness erupted from the doors, letting out a guttural roar. Ganondorf could barely see it in the dark of night, be he found the bright golden eyes. He and the beast stared each other down, green eyes locked with golden ones.  
_Focus on your hand. Think about protecting her._  
Gan breathed in deep, a shaky breath leaving him. He lifted his arm higher, flexing his fingers slowly. He felt a burning sensation going from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers.  
Time seemed to be at a standstill as Mora watched Ganondorf and the beast in their standoff. She looked up at Gan's arm, a gasp leaving her when she noticed three small triangles on the back of his hand. Starting at his shoulder, tiny bolts of golden lightning sparked down his bicep, going down to his hand, wrapping around each digit and gathering at his palm.  
**How? First, she steals power from me… and now you have my triforce?!** The dark voice boomed around them, echoing in the canyon as golden light shot from Ganondorf's hard, hitting the dark beast and sending it back into the tomb.  
Gan stood for a moment, his body thrummed with power for a moment before he collapsed, landing face first in the sand. Mora gasped and crawled to Gan, touching him all over, pushing on his shoulders and torso as she rolled him over onto his back. "Gan! No, Gan… come on, you gotta wake up." She kept looking up at the ruins, waiting for the beast or some of his monsters to rush out at them.

Zelda was back at her daughters' side, brushing the soft golden locks out of her face. The Royal Doctor had been in to see her already, giving her milk of the poppy to chase away any fever that might try to come on. He had opened her eyes, but they reacted normally. There was nothing else he could do, all there was to do was to wait out whatever this was.  
Link and Duske had returned to the Queen's side, giving her company in place of the King who she refused to see. "Tell me again."  
"My Queen. I've told you everything five times over. Nothing I say now will change the princess." Duske groaned, rubbing his temple as he struggled to not snap at his Queen. "Focusing on what happened in that chamber will only make you worry more."  
"Link, have you seen any sign of the old bat?" Zelda looked over at Link, her eyes were puffy and her face red from the tears she shed. "I know she has something to do with this. I just know it."  
Link quietly shook his head, he stood in the doorway of the bedroom, not wanting to cross any farther than that. He glanced at Duske who stood in the bedroom, as if he were truly welcome this far in. "No, Zel. I haven't seen her. But I would have passed her when l went back down, she isn't that quick."  
"I'll go ask the prison guard if they've seen any sign of her." Duske moved quickly, happy for the excuse to leave the room. "Open the window, would you, Link? Give the Queen and Princess some fresh air."  
Link slowly shook his head, his blue eyes round and pleading with the guard captain. When the guard scoffed and left, Link swallowed the lump in his throat and carefully crossed into the room, going over to the large windows.  
Zel watched him, her eyes narrowing on him. "Do I make you nervous, Hero?"  
"What? No… no, not at all." Link gave her a nervous smile as he pushed the large window open. "Not at all, Zel." As he moved back towards the door, his hand throbbed. He lifted it, staring at the triforce as it glowed. He looked to Zel, hers was glowing as well. "Zel?"  
Zelda bit her lip as she looked from her hand to Link. "The triforce of power has been awoken." She held her hand to her chest, feeling the quickened beat of her heart. "Tell no one, Link. No one."

Mora finally got Gan to stir, his green eyes dull with exhaustion. "What happened?" Gan struggled against Mora as she held him down on his back. His eyes shot wide open, staring at the girl above him as she let her lips crash against his.  
"I think we won. But we have to get home." She whispered, unable to stop the tears that fell onto his cheeks.  
Gan reached up, brushing her cheeks to get rid of the tears. "Don't cry Mo, we'll figure this out." He pulled her back down into a kiss, sighing against her lips. "What kind of birthday would it be if it didn't involve a lecture from our mothers?" He teased as he sat up, pulling Mora down until her cheek was against his chest. He put a hand on top of her head, his eyes locked on the glowing triangles.


	10. Aftermath

Mora sat next to Gan; her hands wrapped weakly around the hilt of the claymore. After the Triforce of Power had awoken on his hand, he had no energy to get up from where he fell, let alone carry a lame Mora back to the village. He had started to fight Mora at one point, wanting her to get some rest but they both knew that Gan needed the energy more to get them back.  
Mora looked up from the front of the ruins, looking to the sky. It was no longer black but a deep purple with a few pink streaks, signaling the coming of dawn. She gently shook Ganondorf, a whimper leaving her when he didn't wake up the first few times. "Gan… please… don't leave me like this…"

After all her shaking and nearly sitting on the prince, he finally stirred, groaning from aching joints and muscles. Gan rolled over, his large body curling around Mora, squeezing her tight against him. "No, Gan… come on… we have to go… please." He slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the girl he was curled around. His jaw dropped as he stared up at her. "Mo… you look like shit."  
"You don't look any better, I'm sure." Mora was shivering from the pain in her body. One eye was swollen shut with a shiner, the left side of her face was turning a sickly yellow and purple from a massive bruise. Gan's eyes wandered down, taking in the rest of the damage. Her left side was bruised as well, presumably from where she hit the ground in the explosion. He reached out, touching her belly where she had a black marking, like some kind of weird rune.  
Gan sat up, ignoring the protest from his muscles as he moved. His movements were slow, mentally checking himself for any broken bones. "Nothing is broken on you, right?"  
"Uhm… I'm not sure."  
Gan gave her a puzzled look until he looked down at her leg, seeing her ankle was swelling and already a deep purple with a disgusting bruise. "No walking for you." He carefully mused her hair, helping her to her good foot. He helped her climb onto his back, hissing when her leg wrapped around a bruise, pushing against it. He squeezed her when she tried to struggle away from the pain she caused him. "Stop. The faster I get us home, the better."  
After securing his claymore to his hip, awkwardly while she was on his back, he started to walk away. They didn't talk for a while, too afraid that the nightmare would chase them if they talked too soon. "Mo… you could have woken me up sooner. You should have woken me up sooner, what if something had come out of those ruins and come at you-"  
"Nothing did. I'm fine. We're alive. That's all that matters." Mora pressed her bruised face into his hair, fighting back sobs as he walked. "Gan… you saved us."  
Gan rubbed his thumbs against the backside of her thighs, trying to comfort her. "You gave us the head start, though."  
"Hardly."  
"With an exploding arrow, Princess."  
"I am not."  
"According to Demise you are."  
"Is that his name? And why are we trusting an ancient evil being?"  
"Because you opened the tomb."  
"And released the ancient evil on Hyrule. Way to go me. I never saw him emerge, though. Gan what are we going to do?" Mora groaned into Gan's shoulder, she let out a soft laugh only for it to turn almost hysterical as she squeezed his shoulders. "Happy birthday, by the way."  
"Mo, you know we have to tell my mother, right? We can't pretend like this didn't happen, since we're covered in bruises and dirt." Gan squeezed her legs as he carried her, rubbing his thumbs against her thighs, trying to fight off the smile that spread on his lips when she said 'Happy Birthday', it hadn't gone as he had hoped, at all.  
"The part about Demise."  
"All of it, Mo. All of it."  
The two argued the rest of the morning as Gan carried Mora, it took a few hours, but about halfway home, a small group of guard came upon them. Ubo was leading the group with Imo and Biana just behind her. "My prince. Mora. What happened to you?"  
Imo moved around Ganondorf, ready to take Mora away from him. She stumbled back when Gan whirled around, snarling at her. His body relaxed when he felt Mora's hand on the nape of his neck. "Gan, take a break, you've been carrying me for hours."  
Gan had to fight himself from yanking Mora back from Imo when the smaller girl gritted her teeth in pain. He kept close to Imo when they took off again, his arm brushing Mora's leg every now and again. He noted that the poor thing had finally fallen asleep thanks to the silence and the easier gate that Imo had.  
"You're limping, prince." Ubo stated, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.  
"Do you intend to carry me?" Gan bit back at the guard, he didn't realize how much of a security blanket Mora had become for him, he ran a hand through his hair, angrily pushing past tangles and dirt. "Imo, can I have her back? Please?"  
Before Imo or Ubo could argue, Biana easily took the limp girl from Imo. "I would rather make it out of the desert alive and if our prince has Mora on his back, he is less likely to take that claymore and stab us with it while we question him." She teased her fellow guardsmen as she carefully situated Mora on Gan's back, hushing the girl when she started to stir. "I think she's made it to ten pounds dry, what do you say, Gan?"  
Gan gave a chuckle and shook his head. "Fifteen wet."

Eabim was red in the face as she struggled to keep her calm façade. She glanced to Nikesa who stood to the left of the throne, the woman wanted to race over and pluck her daughter from the princes back, but they could all tell he would not willingly give her up. She leaned her chin in her palm, deep green eyes narrowed on her son. "I'm sorry… you did what now?"  
Gan struggled to keep his breathing even as he locked eyes with his mother. She wasn't going to understand. She wasn't going to give him time to explain any part of this. She would blame Mora and order her out of the village. "I said… we released an ancient evil on Hyrule. By accident."  
"How… does one _accidentally_ release something evil on the whole of Hyrule?"  
Gan glanced to Nikesa, his jaw turning white from the way he was clenching it. "Did she tell you about the voice?"  
Nikesa slowly shook her head, frowning. "No, but I did hear her talking to herself a lot recently."  
"She was never talking to herself; she was talking to Demise. He wants to end the world, and he was sealed away in that tomb. She stumbled upon him when she went into that cave and he… I don't know the details; I haven't had the chance to talk to her about it. But when I found her, he was controlling her and used her to open the seal."  
"Why her?"  
"Because she's a-" Gan paused, glancing over his shoulder at the sleeping girl on his back, he chewed his lip for a moment before looking back to his mother. "Maybe because she's Hylian?"  
"So, any Hylian could have found this?"  
Ganondorf could tell by her tone that she wasn't convinced. He huffed, giving a shrug. "I don't know, maybe? Does that much matter?" AII he wanted to do was go get cleaned up and lay down in his own bed. "There's an ancient evil and the rest of Hyrule should be warned-"  
"I'm glad you think so." The way she said it had Ganondorf snapping his attention straight to his mother, the look on her face was anything but pleased as they watched each other. "Your ancient evil puts me in a tight spot, Duno. I sent out ravens two days ago letting the Zora, Goron and Hylians know we would be coming to have you meet with them. I can't turn around and say 'oops, my son, a prophesized male Gerudo, did exactly what you all said and released an ancient evil on Hyrule so, we must stay here to watch over our home.' Now can I? Though, I can't just leave my village without a leader and its' guards here. In case that thing makes a return." The queen rubbed her face in annoyance, her fingers squeezing the bridge of her long nose.  
Gan lowered his head, chewing his lip once more. "No… I suppose not." He sighed, there were times he had wished he hadn't been born, to save his mother from hearing about the prophecy about a male Gerudo. Some of the guards whispered about it, Mora had asked him about it once when they were younger after hearing some whispers. "How long do I have before I need to leave?"  
"A month. If I decide to still let you go."  
"I will not be deterred by some monster. I need to go meet with the other domains and explain what has happened, so they are not blind-sided by its' minions. I will take two guard and Mora." Gan straightened up as best he could with Mora on his back.  
"She will stay."  
"You will have her stay here? Someone who is marked by the beast, putting the village at risk? You would risk your people for her?" When Eabim shifted forward in her seat, Ganondorf took a step forward, his green eyes narrowed. "You weren't in that tomb, mother. You didn't hear how… how Demise spoke to her… you didn't see…" He raised his lip in a silent snarl as his fingers dug into Mora's legs, reminding himself that she was safe and with him. That he hadn't completely failed her. He shook his head, forcing himself to relax. They were safe, she was safe. With him. He looked down at the bruised ankle that wrapped around his side, his chest tight as he spoke words he knew Mora would hate him for if she were awake. "If I take her with me… we can explain to the other domains about what happened… and see if the Hylian's will take her in. Their army is bigger than ours, and they have a closer relationship with the Sheikah, who can also help her. If anyone knows anything about sealing an evil being, it would be the Queen. They can-"  
"No." Nikesa was in front of Gan, gripping the front of his shirt and looking into his eyes as tears welled in her own. "Not my baby girl, my prince. Please." She turned to Eabim; her fingers were still tight on Gan's shirt. "We had a deal! We had until she was sixteen!"  
"Is that what you would do, if you were King? Beg another domain to take care of your problem child?" Eabim ignored Nikesa, finally standing and moving closer to her son, her face had softened, she knew how much he hated the thought of giving Mora up to people she didn't know.  
Gan looked away from both women in front of him, his eyes on the sleeping face against his shoulder. It was almost comical what Mora could sleep through; he could add raised voices to that list now. He turned his attention back to his mother, doing his best to keep his expression void of emotion. "My people come before myself. Having Mora in Hyrule castle could prove to be useful in the coming years on top of that."  
Eabim gave her son a smile and reached out to touch his cheek, her whole being going stiff when he ripped away from her, turning away from her and Nikesa. "You are beginning to think like a King, my duno."  
"No, I'm being selfish. She is to never know of this plan. I will talk to the Queen and King in private and see if they will come to a similar conclusion with a little prodding." Gan started for the main entry, pausing for a moment before he changed his route and headed towards his room.  
"Where are you going?" Both Nikesa and Eabim seemed to ask at the same time, their eyes narrowed at Gan. They both backed off though when he looked at them, his eyes ablaze in anger and annoyance. When no one else said anything, he made quick work of the stairs.  
Though he paused when he got to his room, having not thought about how to get Mora off his back without waking her up. He started to turn to sit when Biana's head poked into his room. "May I help?" When she received a desperate nod, she entered and walked up to him, helping him remove the sleeping girl. "I think what you said was honorable. You know, there's a saying the Hylian have… if you love something, you must let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be."  
"I don't like that saying." Gan whispered as he pulled the sheets back and used pillows to prop Mora's ankle up. "I don't want to know what I would do if she didn't come back."  
"I have a feeling she would have to be chained to a wall to not come back." Biana let out a soft laugh, helping her prince tuck Mora in. "I'll leave you be, Gan. I'll happily go with the two of you, I know the very thought of leaving the village scares Ubo."  
"It does?"  
"Yes, she's a silly one though. She prefers comfort, but she would do as you ask. For me though? I've heard the older Gerudo talk about the winds of Hyrule, the seas of green and the trees and flowers that grow there. Maybe I'll find my one true love out there." She gave Gan a wink before turning away. "Or you could take both Ubo and I."  
Gan watched Biana leave, she had been one of the only ones to have a true soft spot for Mora. Probably due to the fact Mora would always be childlike to the women, never growing much taller than she was now, and being soft instead of hard muscle. He watched Mora sleep for a moment before he moved to the other side of the room to change into something more comfortable.  
With a few strained grunts and groans, he finally pulled his shirt up and over his head, examining the bruises on his tanned skin. One bruise covered his stomach and wrapped around to his back while most others were around his shoulders. He started on the ties on his pants when he felt eyes on him. He paused, glancing up and into the mirror, meeting the bright green eye that wasn't swollen shut on the girl who was supposed to be asleep.  
"No… no… don't stop on account of me. I'm just enjoying my show."  
Gan gave her a playful look before rolling his eyes at her. "Mo… you should be sleeping."  
"Ah, yeah. It's hard to sleep when my prince is whimpering in pain."  
"You can sleep through shouting, but Hylia forbid I take my shirt off. And I wasn't whimpering."  
Mora raised her brows at him, wincing at the pain from the motion. "Right, and I can walk."  
"Mo." Gan swirled his hand in the air, asking her to look away for a few moments. "I'm only going to give you one warning, I'm changing, I don't care what you see. But what you see on me, I get to see on you." He laughed when suddenly her hands covered her face, a deep red blush added to the deep purple bruises.  
Mora had to resist the urge to peek when she heard him walking around. How much fun would it be to rub it in Talo's face that she got to see Gan's butt before the Gerudo girl did? The thought had her cheeks warming and her breath hitching in her throat. Her heart all but stopped when she felt the bed sink under a new weight. She lay as still as possible, as if that would make her invisible to the male Gerudo that sat next to her.  
Gan ran his hands along her legs, seeing how swollen her ankle was. He gave a little squeeze, stopping when she tried to pull away. He leaned down, his lips lightly pressing against the bruised skin before he kissed upwards. She was covered in dirt and dust, dried sweat and blood. He didn't care, he covered her body with his, his nose finding her neck and breathing her in.  
Mora was frozen beneath Gan, her mind racing with all the things that could possibly happen between them. But her world snapped back when she heard the shuddering breath he took. Her arms wrapped around him, pain from a nasty bruise somewhere on her arm made her fingers go numb, so she dug them into the bright red hair, holding him to her. She found it difficult to breathe from the weight on her chest, but she didn't care, he was with her, finding comfort in her. "Gan-"  
"Promise… promise you'll always come back."


	11. Preparations

Mora slowly made her way up the stairs to the palace, Nikesa waiting at the top for her. It had been three weeks since the prince's birthday, and the tomb. Her ankle was doing much better, but stairs still gave her grief. She paused at the top, tilting her head back with a grunt. "I'm fine, mom." She touched Nikesa's arm when the Gerudo woman started for her. "That's just a lot of stairs still." She rolled her shoulders and put on a smile before stepping into the throne room.  
Eabim was waiting calmly in her throne, a grin on her face when Mora and Nikesa came in. "Little gorokastro, how do you feel?"  
"I feel good, Latifa." Mora gave a small bow, making sure to keep her weight situated on her good foot. She glanced up, not seeing Ganondorf in front of her. She lowered her eyes again, not wanting to insult Eabim now that the queen was playing nice.  
"Do you think you'll be ready for the journey in a week?"  
"I have clothes mostly packed."  
"Mostly?"  
"I… uh… I'm having trouble deciding what would be a good choice to wear when we uhm… go before the other domains. I can't wear my travel clothes, and I don't think I can salvage my nicer clothes from Gan's birthday, not that I should wear something that shows so much skin. I'm not Gerudo, I wouldn't want to insult the strong women." Mora saw Eabim flick a finger, a signal that she was satisfied with how long the girl bowed.  
Eabim gave a nod and put her chin on her fist, her eyes moving to someone behind Mora. "You would not insult us, but I do not think it would be wise for you to go to the Hylian stronghold wearing Gerudo clothes, they might take insult that you are picking a side."  
"There is no side to choose, Latifa."  
Eabim tipped her head, staring at Mora with surprise. "Is there not?"  
"I was cast out by them. I have no side to choose." Mora kept her chin up, she felt herself relax several octaves when the tall body of Ganondorf came around and stood next to his mother.  
Eabim smirked, glancing up at her son. "Well, if you think you're ready. Ganondorf, you will make final preparations for your trip and pick your guards to go with you. I grant you permission to leave when all of you are ready."  
"I have already informed Ubo and Biana, they are packed and ready to go, as am I." He locked eyes with Mora, a brow raised.  
"Then I can finish packing, give me one more day with mom and I'll be ready to go."

Ganondorf sat on the small bed, one leg stretched out and hanging off the end of the bed while the other one was braced on the ground. He was looking over a map, trying to determine the best route to go. "Should we go see the Zora or the Goron first?"  
"Are we also going to see the Rito?"  
"Yes, but that visit will have to be last. We've received word that it has been snowing a lot, which has made some paths difficult to pass on foot."  
Mora set a small stack of folded clothes between Gan's legs, nervously hiding her undergarments in her leather pack so he wouldn't see them. She moved around, looking at the map with the prince. "What if we take this route and go through Faron and go see the Zora first?" She turned and started folding her clothes tighter to get them into her pack.  
Nikesa leaned against the doorframe, her eyes soft as she watched the two of them. "To go through Faron you'll have to climb a cliff face. You can barely climb stairs, Mora."  
Mora glanced back at her mother, smiling. "I've been able to run if I wrap my ankle tight enough, and it really didn't hurt that bad when-"  
"We won't be climbing cliffs, Nikesa, I promise." Gan cut the smaller female off with a laugh. "Hey, I might be strong, but climbing cliffs is no easy task for me!"  
"You're just afraid I would beat you to the top." Mora crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out, smirking at her prince.  
Nikesa shook her head and curled her finger at her daughter. "Come here, little bird."  
Mora felt her chest grow tight and her limbs go numb at the nickname. She hadn't heard Nikesa call her that in years, and now it was tainted by nightmares. She saw the worried look on Gan's face, but gave him a smile before going to Nikesa. "Yes?"  
"Eabim wanted to wait until your birthday for us to give this to you but seeing as plans of have changed…" Nikesa held out a large satchel, waiting for Mora to take it. "Go change into it, then come show Gan and I." Mora raised a brow to her mother before grabbing the satchel and disappearing across the hall to her mothers' room. Nikesa sat next to Gan, just in front of the folded clothes, her nails dug into his thigh, causing the prince to squirm under her grasp. "You had better take care of my daughter, _Prince_. If I see bruises like what she had… ever again…"  
"You do realize she technically gave those to herself." Gan tried to pry Nikesa's hand away from his leg, gritting his teeth at the way her nails bit in. "But you know I won't let anything happen to her like that again." He started to say more when movement caught his attention, he turned his head and his jaw about hit the bed he sat on.  
Nikesa rose, moving quickly to her daughter, looking her over. "Mora…"  
Mora stood in front of them in a deep green dress that went down passed her knees and sleeves that covered her hands. It had gold embroidery along the edges, the gold was in shapes of the desert flowers that grew along the outside of town. At her belly was the Gerudo insignia, just above the golden sash that helped to keep the dress together. "Mom… this probably cost far too much, you didn't have to get this…"  
"It's a gift from myself and Eabim, don't you worry about something that silly." Nikesa brushed a few stray strands of hair away from Mora's face, being careful around the yellowing bruise there. "Teaka has asked to see you before you go as well." She bit her lip, fighting back the tears as she looked her daughter over. She helped loosen the sash around the girl's waist and helping her with the clasps that held it all together.  
The two females paused halfway down the dress when they heard a creaking noise behind them. Nikesa slowly turned her head, seeing Gan leaning against the headboard, watching them. "I don't know why you stopped." Gan let out a laugh when Nikesa's face turned bright red in annoyance. "I'm kidding! Please don't kill me, Nikesa." Gan pleaded as the Gerudo woman turned on him.  
"Mom, it's only fair, I almost got to see his butt a few weeks ago." Mora grinned when Gan's eyes widened, and fear covered his face. "I'm kidding… mostly." She teased and went back to Nikesa's room to change.

Mora and Gan were walking through the market square, Gan still rubbing the back of his head from where Nikesa all but beat his skull in for watching Mora undress. "Mo-"  
"Why didn't you tell them about what Demise said about me?"  
Gan stopped and looked down at Mora, confusion on his brow. "What do you mean?"  
"Goddess, Gan. Why didn't you tell them about the Goddess?"  
Gan slid his hand into Mora's hair, pulling her into him and leaning down so he could give her a swift kiss. He smirked at how flustered she was when he pulled back, licking his lips, a whispered word leaving him as he straightened up. "It wasn't important, so drop it."  
Mora stammered as she followed Ganondorf to the small shop that Teaka ran, her brain still not working right as they stepped in. Teaka looked between the two, a curious look on her face. "Did she hit her head?"  
"Nah, I gave her a kiss to shut her up about some worries over the journey." Gan leaned against the bar while Mora slowly climbed into one of the chairs. "Seemed to work pretty well."  
Teaka rolled her eyes and made them tea, smiling at them. "That is a good way to shut a woman up." She set their tea in front of them when she was finished. "I have gifts for both of you. Wait here." She slid from the main area and into the back.  
Mora was clutching her tea so hard she was almost worried she would break the cup. "Did… did you say delicious?" She looked to Gan, swallowing the lump in her throat when he gave her a sideways glance.  
"You mean… like this?" He grabbed her again, his lips covering hers. She went all but limp in his hold when he pulled away again, his voice so quiet she barely heard what he said while he licked his lips again. "Delicious."  
"D-Don't do that, Gan!"  
"Why not?"  
"It's inappropriate!"  
"I didn't know kissing was inappropriate."  
"Licking your lips with that look on your face is inappropriate!"  
Gan let out a laugh when Mora covered her face, trying to hide her blush. "Oh, is it? I think I'll keep at it." He looked up when Teaka returned, giving another laugh at the look he received.  
"You become bold with your gestures, young prince." Teaka set a small box down in front of the two teens, a smile on her lips. "Open them."  
Gan grabbed the one in front of him while Mora did the same, he let Mora open hers first before opening his. Inside were two matching bracelets, golden and thick. He looked up at Teaka, surprised at the gift. "Teaka… this is too much."  
Mora held her bracelets up, they were matching to Gan's but not as thick. "Teaka… you really didn't have to."  
"I wanted to. And your mothers should have taught you manners. You say thank you to gifts." Teaka leaned in, her elbows resting on her bar. "You'll need to show yourselves off to the others, us Gerudo take pride in our jewels and golds. What kind of King of Thieves doesn't have an assortment of golds?"  
"We aren't thieves, we haven't been thieves for a very long time, Teaka."  
"What better way to remind others that we still have our roots? Don't think too hard on it, Prince. First impressions matter. With you wearing bands like that will let the other domains know that we are doing well and need not their help, but their respect. With your… escort wearing bands like that, it demands more respect."  
"Escort?" Mora paused in sliding the bracelets over her hands. "What do you mean by escort?"  
Gan narrowed his eyes, setting the bands down. "She is not some-"  
"You are a Gerudo Prince, soon to be King, Ganondorf. Do you really think walking into the other domains, with two guards and a Hylian will not be questioned? Do you really think they won't assume she is your bed warmer?" Teaka leaned in, hissing at her prince. "Your mother wouldn't have warned you, and you would walk Mora into these foreign palaces just behind you and to your left, you would have shown offense when they made a comment about her being an escort in fancy clothes. This is your test, Ganondorf. You knew it was a test from the very beginning, to see if you could handle being in front of other Kings and Queens."  
"If that's what they think, then they can think that. What King wouldn't have someone next to him? If I have to play a role for Gan, I will play a role."  
Teaka looked to Mora, tilting her head in approval. "And if they… assume you two sleep together, will you go red in the face and try to deny it? When you hear whispers or are asked if you had a comfortable enough bed?"  
"I will fill whatever role I need to. I am there to inform the domains that I was controlled by Demise and released him. We haven't seen any signs of him even though it's been nearly a month since he was released, it's important for them to understand that means nothing good, for any of us. If they want to think I'm Gan's toy while I explain that, then that's up to them. If offends me none." Mora slid the bracelets over her hands and sipped at her tea.  
Teaka grinned and looked to Gan while pointing to Mora. "You should take pointers from her, to not care what people think of her. But she has had fourteen years to build a tough skin thanks to the women that lust over you. You have a few months to build that thick skin, promised prince."  
Gan huffed and drank his tea, glaring at Teaka. "You're brutal, you know that?"  
"Everyone is soft on you; they are afraid that you will explode and tear them to bits and pieces. They think Mora is stupid for questioning things you do or getting you two caught in dangerous situations, but you take every word she says and think about how it can help you. She is brash with you, but you let her be that way. You two will have to guard your tongues on the road, if the other domains see you taking council from her, what message will that paint?" Teaka crossed her arms, leaning a hip on the bar.  
"That I know something they don't." Gan rubbed the back of his left hand, glaring at the spot where the triforce had glowed once before. "Thank you, Teaka."  
"Don't thank me just yet, prince. This will be a hard journey, if you think your people hold you at a small distance out of worry for what you are, you should see what the rest of the world thinks of a male Gerudo." She turned her eyes to Mora, smiling. "You'll have to watch yourselves and show them just how small of a threat you are compared to the evil lying in wait."

Nikesa cupped her daughters' cheeks, her lips pressed to the Hylian girls' forehead as tears fell down her cheeks. "I love you, my little beast."  
"I love you too, mom. I'll be back before you know it." Mora whispered, keeping her arms tight around her mother. "When I get back, can we go to the Oasis for drinks?"  
Nikesa squeezed Mora, unable to fight back the sobs as she slowly nodded. "Of course. When you… return… we'll go." She kissed the girls' forehead one more time before pulling away. She glanced to the others who waited, her eyes pleading with Ganondorf to change his mind, to bring back her baby girl.  
Mora smiled to Nikesa and trotted over to Gan, Ubo and Biana. She looked back one last time, smiling at Nikesa who watched them go. She turned to Biana, taking the bow that the guard offered her. They didn't think they would run into trouble, but they would rather be safe than sorry.  
The three Gerudo walked a little slower so Mora wouldn't have to exert herself, but she would trot ahead of them every now and again, letting her sand boots take her through the loose sands with ease. She turned, walking backwards so she could watch Gan. "So… why don't you try to find a horse too?"  
"I've only heard rumors of horses big enough to easily carry a Gerudo, but no one has seen any in the last few years. We can check with the stables on the rumors, thought I'm not too worried about it." Gan shrugged as they walked along, catching Mora by the hand and keeping her steady when she tripped over a rock while turning around.

The four made it to the canyon gates, easily moving over the stairs and letting the guards open the gates for them. The two at the gate smiled at their prince as he led the way into the canyon. Mora looked to the stables, her eyes landing on the spot where a small tent had been set up. It had only been two or so months, but it felt like an eon ago. It was still early in the morning and people were still sleeping as the small group walked up to the stables.  
Ganondorf started to go to talk to the owner when Mora bounced up in front of him, a smile on her lips. "Good morning! We were wondering if you had any horses for sale?"  
The owner looked between Mora and the Gerudo behind her, blinking a few times before giving her a warm smile. "I'm afraid not, I just sold my last horse a few weeks ago and haven't had the time to go catch more. There's a herd just east of here, you got a map?"  
Gan handed the map over when Mora turned to him, she went back to the owner, letting him show her a route. "We were told there was nothing but sheer cliff face around here, that it would be too hard to climb."  
"Oh, that was months ago, they've built ways to get up the cliffs to the top. Pretty views from up there." The owner pointed to one spot, making sure Mora was paying attention. "Go through this valley, if you find a horse you can tame, you can go this way and just follow this path, you'll come across another stable like this. My brothers and I all own one across Hyrule." The owner beamed, tipping his hat to Mora.  
"Huh… gonna try and keep it in the family?"  
"Going to try our best!" The owner let out a laugh and leaned back. "If you'd like to buy carrots and ropes, we got some here."  
"Yeah, if you have a bundle or two." Mora clasped her hands in front of her, smiling more.

Biana and Ubo divided up the carrots so all four could have a few to try and catch a horse with. Biana bumped into Ubo playfully when they started out again. "I hope you aren't afraid of heights, Ubo." She grinned when the other guard narrowed her eyes. "It shouldn't be too bad."  
Gan took gulps from his waterskin as they walked, keeping his pace slow so Mora wouldn't have to jog to keep up. He looked at the two guards, listening to them talk. He glanced down at Mora who was limping a little heavier. "Do we need to take a break?"  
"No, no. I'm fine." Mora gave Gan a grin and brushed up against him. "Really, don't give me that look, I'll be fine." She gripped the straps of her pack tighter and bit the inside of her lip, wanting lunch to hurry up and get here so she could relax for a few moments.  
Gan frowned, he could see the pain in those green eyes of hers, but she was trying to put on a strong face for them, so they wouldn't have to stop. "We should be coming up to the way up soon."  
As if the words he spoke were magic, they rounded a corner in the canyon and there it was, the ramps up to the walkways along the cliff face. Ubo went up first, Biana teased her that if she went up first, she couldn't chicken out halfway up. Mora went next with Gan right behind her and Biana bringing up the rear. "Is this really that sturdy?" Ubo growled as she led the way up, not daring to look down below her.  
"I'm sure they're fine, we only have three nearly full grown Gerudo and a half pint walking on them." Mora teased, laughing so hard she had to stop moving when Ubo quickened her pace to put space between all of them. "I'm kidding, the owner of the stables made it sound like they were built a few months ago, should be sturdy enough."

The group finally made it to the top two hours later, each sweating like crazy as they carefully traversed across the wooden planks. Ubo turned and looked at the group. "Should we set up a small camp over in that outcrop? Get in the shade and have lunch?"  
"I think so." Biana helped Mora up the large step onto the top of the cliff. "How is your foot?"  
"I'm ready for a rest." Mora laughed and followed the guard across the dry land towards the outcrop that Ubo and Gan had headed towards.  
"Mora?"  
"Yes, Biana?"  
The guard was silent for a few steps but then shook her head. "Never mind, I'm sorry to bother you, Mora."  
Mora let out a huff but trudged along, if Biana didn't want to ask her questions, then Mora wouldn't push it. She sat next to Gan when she made it to the prince, awkwardly propping her ankle up on the pack. "How long are we resting?"  
"Probably an hour or two? I'd like to get off the cliffs before nightfall but know that isn't necessarily going to happen." Gan shrugged as he pulled some berries from his pack, offering them to Mora. He watched her pluck a few from the small bag and toss them in her mouth one at a time.  
Ubo stretched out in the sun, a sigh leaving her lips as she fumbled in her pack, pulling out dried meat. "How long do you think it will take to travel to the Zora?"  
"If we can get horses, five… maybe six days, without horses it will take over a week." Gan started to set the map down in his lap when Mora curled up against him, her head resting on his thigh. He grinned and set the map out in front of him, looking it over. "This is the valley the stable owner was talking about; we should be there by evening."

Mora stirred when she felt a hand tangling into her hair, twisting brunette locks around thick fingers. She nuzzled against his leg more, sighing softly. "Time to get up?"  
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mo. We need to keep moving." Gan's voice was soft as he stroked her hair, removing any tangles he found. He helped her sit up before repacking the things he pulled from his travel bag.  
Mora's body ached some as she carefully got up, looking around but not seeing Ubo or Biana near them. "Where did… ?"  
"They're around the corner there, nature was calling." Gan stood and stretched out his legs while Mora stretched out her ankle. He moved to her, his arm wrapping around her as he pulled her against his torso.  
"Can I help you, Gan?" Mora looked up into his face, a soft blush on her cheeks. She let herself melt against him, welcoming the feeling of his strong core against her.  
"No. I just wanted to touch." He gave her a mischievous grin when she huffed and pulled away. He looked up when Ubo and Biana came back, nodding to them when they gave a suspicious look. "Ready to go?"

"I see trees." Ubo gasped, pointing to a canyon just ahead of them. "There, then we can get down from these cliffs!"  
Gan waved the two guards ahead, staying back with Mora as she struggled to hide her limping. "Once we get down into the valley, we'll set up camp, that way you can rest for the night, how does that sound?"  
"That sounds wonderful." Mora purred as she walked along with Ganondorf. She paused when she saw the two guards gawking at something down in the valley below. She looked at Gan before shrugging and following him.  
Gan paused, looking down at what his two guards gawked at. His jaw dropped as he looked down below. "Holy shit…" He turned; his eyes wide as he looked back at Mora. "Come look at this!"  
Mora ran over, gasping and wincing when the pain reminded her that she shouldn't try to run. When she finally hobbled over, her jaw dropped at the sight. Down in the valley was a herd of large horses, big enough to carry a full grown Gerudo. "No way."


	12. Get Off My Back

Gan looked between Mora and the herd, his eyes about to pop out from his skull with excitement. "Mo! Look at them! I bet I can get one!" His eyes were all but pleading for her permission to go down ahead. When she only raised her eyebrows, he took off, running carefully along the path that led down. Ubo was hard on his heels, whooping after him as they eagerly shouted about their plans.  
Mora was slower to pick her way down the pathway, Biana staying with her in case she needed help. "It looks like there are smaller horses there too." Biana noted as they picked their way down.  
"You mean normal horses. I didn't think that we would actually find giant horses running around." Mora hobbled around a decently sized rock on the path. She looked out, seeing Gan and Ubo dropping their gear and trotting towards the horses. "We'll have to force those two in, it's getting dark out."  
"We'll set up camp and then call them back over before Ganondorf breaks his neck." Biana let out a soft laugh as she started unpacking various items once they got down off the path.  
Mora helped where she could, but the Gerudo woman had it mostly under control, easily pitching two tents. "One for us females and one for the prince?"  
"Hm? Did Gan not tell you? He wanted to share a tent so the two of you could get used to sharing the same space before you got to the other territories." Biana smiled at the deep blush that spread on Mora's cheeks. "Don't worry, Ubo and I are taking turns watching guard, so he won't be able to do anything without use hearing."  
Mora gave a slow nod, it wasn't him doing anything that worried her, it was the question of if she would be able to sleep or not knowing how close he would be. She looked up, seeing Gan approaching a large black horse with a deep rust colored mane. "Oh, no… Gan! Be careful! Please!"  
The horse turned its head, staring at Gan as the male Gerudo walked up slowly, when the horse didn't move, Gan carefully stretched his arms out over the horses back. When the giant horse still didn't move, Gan put his hands on the back, waiting for movement. The horse seemed curious as to what Gan thought he was doing. It shifted its weight when Gan pulled himself up, swinging a leg over the horses back.  
The two sat like that for a moment, pride beaming in his eyes as he twisted, looking over to Mora. "That was easy!"  
Mora gawked at Gan, shocked that the horse was letting him sit without fighting. "Way to-" she froze, seeing something change in the horse. Both she and Biana cringed when the horse took off at full speed, sending Ganondorf flying off it's back as he was unprepared for the sudden movement. Mora slowly moved to Gan, touching his shoulder as she knelt next to him. "I'm surprised it let you on it's back at all. Try again in the morning, okay?"  
Gan slowly nodded, trying his best to not use Mora as he got up. He looked back to the horse that loped around the valley, looking towards Gan as if taunting him to try again. "Fine. But I'm getting up early and working on that horse all day."  
Mora laughed, shaking her head at him. "Fine, as long as you promise to not break your neck."

When Mora woke up the next morning, the others were up already, as well as the sun. She watched them, Gan was rubbing his backside from what she was guessing was a fall from his horse while Ubo and Biana were observing, trying to figure out which horse they were going to try to ride. Mora shook her head and dug into her bag, grabbing out the bundle of carrots.  
She wandered out to the middle of the valley, plopping down onto the ground and waiting. One mare slowly wandered closer, obviously never having seen a person before. Mora sat still, ignoring the horse. It was a beautiful gray with a white speckled rump. The mare dipped her head down, her lips toying with the carrots.  
Mora carefully reached over, breaking off part of a carrot off and holding it out. The mare jumped back some, sniffing at Mora again before taking the carrot. The mare munched on the carrot as it trotted around, coming back every now and again throughout the morning for more to munch on.  
Ganondorf watched the large black horse as it munched on a patch of grass nearby. He put his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowing as he tried to come up with an idea on how to befriend the horse. He walked towards it, pausing when the horse looked up at him. He proceeded, making sure to go slow so the horse wouldn't run off on him again. He had been bucked off more times than he cared to admit, but the horse almost seemed to enjoy this as much as he did.  
When the Gerudo male got close enough, he quickly jumped on the horses back, grabbing fistfuls of mane and hanging on for dear life when the mustang took off. He squeezed his legs, putting pressure on the mustang's sides. He gasped when the horse planted its back hooves and twisted, turning sharp to the left and taking off again. Gan held on with all his might, but he felt himself slipping on the horses back.  
Mora was standing now, holding another carrot and stroking the mares' snout as she watched Gan struggle through the bucks, twists and hard stops made by the mustang. She carefully moved to the mares' side, her heart pounding in her chest as she put her hands on the horses back. While trying to put as little weight on her bad ankle as possible, she carefully climbed up onto the mares back.  
The mare shook some, walking around before Mora could get situated. Mora gasped, clinging to the mares back. She pressed her cheek to the horse's neck, clenching her jaw as the horse carried her around. She looked over, watching as Gan spilled from the mustangs back. Mora's horse slowly walked by Gan who looked up at them, laughing at the sight. "Having fun, Mo?"  
"No… not really. This is kind of scary. Maybe you should try feeding him carrots?" Mora offered, lifting a finger to point to where she had been sitting. "My bundle is right over there."  
Gan got up, grabbing Mora's ride and helping her stop. "Sit up, Mo." He helped her sit up and get positioned better, putting a hand on her lower back to help her scoot forward. "You'll sit around the shoulders, it's more comfortable for you and the horse. Now, you'll grab the mane and gently pull in whatever direction you want to go."  
"When did you learn to ride a horse?" Mora eyed him suspiciously.  
"When I was really little, mom made sure I knew." Gan laughed softly before giving the horse a light pat on the rump to get it moving again. "Just relax, let the horse lead for a bit. And then give her subtle hints on where you want to go, just listen to each other, she seems to like you."  
Mora nodded, trying her best to not pull hard on the dark gray mane. She let the horse lead for a little bit before gently tugging to the right. The mare let out of huff of annoyance. But did what was asked of her. The two wandered around the valley, passing by Biana who was having difficulties with the horse she was working with.  
Ubo trotted up to Mora on a large white and brown horse, smiling. "Look at you go, kiddo." Ubo pushed her heels against her horse's sides and took off. Mora watched, amazed at how quick Ubo had mastered her horse.  
Mora gently prodded her horse to go a little faster until the wind was blowing through her hair. She let out a bubbly laugh as the horse trotted along. The two passed by where Biana was, watching as she was finally able to ride her buckskin without much issue. Though, Mora could see a nice bruise forming where the guards' arm from where she landed wrong.  
Ganondorf looked around, seeing all three women riding their horses. He lifted his lip and let out a small growling noise as he stared at the black stallion. "Just let me ride you, dammit!"  
Mora looked up at the sun, frowning. They had spent most of the day working with the horses, now that she stopped and thought about it, she was starting to get hungry. She looked over her shoulder at the others, smiling when she saw Ubo riding over to her. "Hungry?"

The three females sat near a tree, snacking on dried meat and berries while watching Gan fall and get back up to run after the stallion. Mora let out a sigh, looking over to Ubo who was watching her prince with sharp eyes. "Think he'll get it?"  
Ubo looked to Mora, shaking her head. "I don't know." She leaned back, her head against the large tree the three sat around. "I don't want him to give up but, we will need to head on soon."  
Mora glanced over, seeing that Biana had fallen asleep. She gently poked the guard, waking her. "Go take a nap, Ubo and I will keep watch." She watched as Biana slowly nodded and get up to move into the tent. "We can give him until early tomorrow afternoon, if he doesn't get it… someone will just have to share a horse or walk."  
"I… if I'm being honest, Mora… I never wanted to come on this journey in the first place. If the prince would give me leave, I would go back to Gerudo Village-"  
"Ubo… why didn't you say something to Gan?" Mora leaned into the guard, grabbing her hand gently.  
Ubo blushed and turned her head away from the smaller female. "Because… while I'm afraid to leave the village, I want to protect my prince no matter what… I can't do that while I'm in the village… and now that I've found this horse… riding around was fun." Ubo scratched her cheek, giving Mora a shy look. "And perhaps Biana is right, maybe we'll find a Hylian to mate with."  
Mora squeezed Ubo's hand, her eyes wide in wonder. "Yes! I'll help you! We can find you the perfect mate!" She let out a giggle, beaming a smile at the guard.  
"What are you two giggling about?" Gan grumbled as he walked over, a slight limp in his step as he rubbed the back of his hip.  
"We're going to find Ubo a mate on this adventure!" Mora giggled before swiveling around and grabbing a small cloth of dried meats and fruits for Gan, holding it out to him. "You should eat and then rest; we'll try again in the morning."  
Gan started to rip the small bundle away from Mora, but he stopped, his hand hovering over hers. She hadn't rubbed it in his face that she had gotten her horse and he hadn't. She didn't deserve his anger. He sighed softly, unable to look into those bright green eyes. "Thank you, Mo."

Gan had talked Mora into staying up late with him as he tried to work with the black horse. He glanced over his shoulder every now and again, seeing Mo stretched out by their campfire and going over the map to see what route they should take come morning. The horse nipped towards him, clearly agitated by the nonstop attempts. "C'mon… please." Ganondorf grumbled and pulled a carrot out from the pouch he and Mora had fashioned him. He held it out, waving it at the horse.  
The horse gave a tilt of its head then ripped the carrot away, easily munching on it in a few easy bites. It slowly walked away from Gan, going back to the small herd.  
When the horse turned its' back, Gan took his chance, quickly jumping on to its' back. He struggled to stay on as the horse shot forward, an annoyed snort leaving it as they raced through the valley. Gan held on tight, moving with the beast's twists and turns, though he barely held on when the horse went into a tight circle as it tried to spill Gan from its' back.  
It wasn't trying as hard, but they were both tired and sick of each other at this point. Gan had started to feel bad for pulling on the mane, but then the horse took off towards one of the large trees. It had seemed too tired to buck Gan off, but breaking a leg was easy work.  
Gan gasped, throwing his left leg up as the horse ran past the tree, barely missing the tree. But while Gan was off balance, it hooked to the left, running as fast as it could around the trunk. Gan yelled out when he crashed to the ground. The horse jumped over him when it came back around, slowing to a trot as it headed back to the herd.  
Gan grumbled and got up, he started to go after it again but thought better of it. It was late, the sun was long gone, and the moon was nearly at her peak now, he turned and headed back towards the camp. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he approached, and he saw Mora was face first on the map. He leaned down, giving her a gentle shake on the should. "Mo, c'mon, time to get up."

Mora shot up, gasping as she looked around. She was in the valley, but she seemed to be the only one awake. All the horses were gone, no where to be seen. She slowly got to her feet, pausing mentally when her ankle didn't hurt as bad while getting up. She didn't remember falling asleep, but it had been a long day.  
She looked around, peeking into the tent she shared with Gan on the first night, frowning when he wasn't there. She pulled back, trotting away from the camp. "Gan?!" Mora wandered farther and farther out, her heart pounding as she trotted along. As she moved, she realized she was barefoot, and the dirt that had been underfoot was now soft grass. She didn't remember taking her shoes off, and she didn't remember grass so close to camp.  
With a look over her shoulder, her whole body froze mid stride. Her camp was gone, the valley was gone. When she faced forward, she was in a vast field, no markers as to where she could be, no clues to tell her what happened to the valley. A gust of wind hit her, nearly knocking her to her ass, but she quickly repositioned her feet, bracing herself. She threw her arms up, protecting her face from the wind.  
Once it died down, she slowly lowered her arms. Her face twisted as she stared at her hands, her skin was several shades lighter, not nearly as sun kissed as she normally was. She gasped and shielded her eyes once more when a bright light erupted around her, turning night into day.  
That's when Mora saw it, there were people in white gowns in a circle in the field with her. Mora felt her hand raise up, though she didn't tell it to. "Are you ready, princess? We only have one shot at this!" The voice came from her left, it was loud and full of pride, though she couldn't see the person it came from.  
'_No, I'm not a prin-_'  
"Yes." That wasn't her voice. It was softer, but it held more command than Mora would ever hope to possess in her own.  
She looked to her hand, her eyes growing wide when she saw the outlines of the triforce, the bottom left triangle glowing the brightest. When did she get the triforce of wisdom? "Link… is the Master Sword ready?"  
"Yes, it is!" This voice came from her right, sounding eager and ready for a fight.  
"Then if Ganondorf is ready-" A loud laugh that came from her left interrupted her, it made her smile. But Mora didn't want to smile, she wanted to scream and run away.  
_Gan?_ She tried to shout for him, but no words came out. She tried to will her feet forward, but they wouldn't move.  
"Open it." She felt those words leave her lips, but it wasn't her voice, it wasn't her body.  
After the words left her, the air whipped around her like a tornado, blowing her hair around her. It was a dark brown, darker than her own sun kissed brunette.

"_Mo…_"  
Mora's eyes snapped open and suddenly she was back in the valley and it was well into the night. She looked up at the person who woke her, seeing Gan. He looked worried as he helped her up. "How long have I been asleep?"  
"Only a few minutes. I decided to sleep some before the morning, that was I can work with that horse more before we have to head out."  
Mora followed Gan to the tent, letting him duck in first. She started to push in when the hair on the back of her neck and her arms stood on end. Someone was watching them. She stepped back from the tent, moving in a slow circle. She didn't see anything, but every instinct was screaming at her to pack up and run. She turned again, fear holding her in place when she saw two beady red orbs staring at her from across the valley.

**Miss me?**


	13. Saddle Up

Mora flopped her arms to her side, her body ached as exhaustion tried to take her. Fear kept her eyes open as she listened to the wind howl outside her tent. She stared at the top, her eyes wide as she listened to Ganondorf snore beside her. She tossed and turned for a little while longer before finally giving up and rolling out of her blankets. She poked her head out of the tent, frowning as she looked around.  
The only thing she saw out there was the horses and trees. With a soft noise, Mora slid from the tent and moved to her horse, stroking the beasts neck gently. She leaned into the horse, hiding her face against the strong muscles, whimpering softly.

Gan rolled over the next morning, a hard snore causing him to flinch awake. He rubbed his face and looked over, frowning when Mora wasn't there. She hadn't slept well, had tossed and turned all night until exhaustion finally took her. He got up and fixed his clothes before stepping out of the tent, he had to duck down to get out, but when he stood up, he saw Mora working with her gray mare.  
He moved to the tree, leaning against it and crossing his arms. He watched as she would walk a few paces away and let out a low whistle. The mare slowly moved to her, taking a piece of carrot that Gan hadn't seen at first when the mare got to Mora. He started to push off the tree when he saw the giant black horse come up behind Mora, lipping at the pouch on her hip that held carrots.  
Ganondorf tilted his head, watching the scene before him. Mora ignored the large horse at first, but she soon glanced over at it, a smile on her lips. "Really?" She laughed and gave a carrot to the large horse before turning back to her mare.  
Gan stayed against the tree for a while longer, watching the girl interact with her horse, but then she turned to the giant black horse. She gave it small pieces of carrots when it came back over to her, she touched the stallions face and neck, giving it more carrot pieces when it either ignored her or leaned into her touch. She gave little tugs on the deep rust colored mane that she could reach. She kept the giant's attention as she pushed her horse closer to the large one. She carefully scrambled onto the horses back before wiggling up onto the giant horse as if her own was a step stool.  
Gan quickly pushed off the tree and walked quickly towards Mora and the horses. "Mora…!" He paused when he got close, his jaw dropping open when he watched the giant move around slowly with Mora on its back. "How are…you?"  
Mora looked up at Gan, giving him a soft smile. "I told you to feed him carrots." She gently pulled on the mane, guiding the horse towards Gan. "Get on."  
Gan let out a laugh and climbed on behind the petite girl, letting her guide the horse. He leaned in against her back, his hands covering hers as they rode around. "Think we should wake Ubo and Biana?"  
"You ride around some, get used to him, I'll wake the other two and get camp cleaned up so that we can leave." Mora teased and managed to wiggle down and made her way to the tents. She glanced back at Ganondorf, smiling at the way he slowly rode around the valley. She poked her head into the tent, smiling at the two guards who were already getting ready. "The three of us will get the camp set up, Gan is getting his horse used to him before we head out."  
Ubo looked over her shoulder at Mora, nodding. "Biana and I will take the tents down, you can get the horses ready and get rid of the campfire." She tied off the armor on her shoulder as Mora slipped back out of the tent and went to the long since burned out campfire. She kicked the burnt wood and ash around, to get rid of any smolder. She grabbed rope and went to her horse, trying to fashion an oddly shaped bridle until Gan came up behind her on his horse. "Mo… what are you doing?" His voice had a tint of laughter in it.  
Mora looked up at him, frowning. "I'm trying to make it easier to ride." She laid the rope across her mares back, huffing in frustration. "When I looked at the map, there looked to be a stable nearby."  
"We can get you a saddle to help you ride." Gan offered, shrugging as he looked over and watched as Ubo and Biana started to take the tents down. "We'll stop by there and see what we can get. I'll need to get more dried meat; I ate too much so I'm low."  
Mora gawked at Gan, her eyes moving between him and the small pack on his hip. "We brought a lot with us… how are…"  
"Hey, I require a lot of food." Ganondorf let out a laugh and urged the horse forward, letting it take lead for a few paces before taking over as they moved along.  
Mora rolled her eyes and fed the three horses' carrots before going and helping Biana and Ubo. The three were finished quickly and packed by the time Gan finally came back around with his horse. "Are we ready?" Mora asked as she got settled on her horse, gently rolling her shoulders as she prepared herself for a full day of traveling.  
"It looks like it." Gan urged his horse forward once more, the three girls following his lead. They made quick work of the valley, passing by the herd of giant and normal horses. The three Gerudo had to keep their horses at a trot if they wanted Mora to stay up with them. She had to repeatedly slow back down to keep her horse from wearing down too fast.  
Ubo ran ahead some to keep an eye out for any danger that might be lurking around. Biana stayed with her prince and Mora, though she rode just behind them, out of hearing range if they chose to talk quietly amongst each other. The three rounded the bend, smiling when they saw Ubo and her horse hanging out in a small pond. "The water feels amazing! And look! Green grass!" She pointed, excited to see the soft blades that tickled the bottom of her now bare feet.  
"Can we stop here to have a late breakfast?" Mora looked at Gan, giving him a warm look.  
Gan gave a small nod and slid off his horse into the ankle-deep water. He chuckled when Mora slid off into a slightly deeper area and it went up to the bottom of her calf. He let his horse do as it pleased, which was to trot around in the water, sipping from it every now and then. He went to the dry hill that looked over their pond, his jaw dropping at what he saw. "Mo… look at this…"  
Mora turned when she heard her name and walked over to Gan, having to go up more to see what he saw. Her jaw dropped at the sight of the vast blue ocean. "Is that?"  
Ubo and Biana were close on their heels, gasping in awe. Biana ran over to the cliff, throwing her arms out as a burst of salty wind blew her short red hair around her head. "We should try to get closer!"  
"We'll try to make a pit stop by the edge while we're out." Gan watched his two guards and Mora, a look crossing his eyes. He wondered what the rest of Hyrule looked like. Would his people be happier living by the waters edge? Or in a field of green grass?  
"Gan! Come closer!" Mora laughed and waved him over.  
He glanced back at the horses once, when he saw they were satisfied where they were at, he joined his group, closing his eyes against the breeze that rushed up the cliff. He let out a sigh, leaning into the breeze some. "This is the life."  
"I could build a house here and be happy for the rest of my life." Mora whispered, putting her head against Gan's arm.  
Gan stared at Mora for a moment, his eyes softening. "Maybe one day we can do just that."  
Ubo glanced back ag her prince, frowning at his words. She glanced at Biana who was enjoying the ocean breeze with her eyes closed. Ubo turned and headed back towards the horses. "Sadly, that will be a dream for now. We need to eat and move along. We have a long way to go.'  
The others nodded and followed the guard. Ganondorf glanced over his shoulder again, longing to put his feet in the water. He looked back to his group, seeing Mora dig a small pouch from her bag. When he got close, she tossed it to him. "What's this?"  
"My dried meat, you can have it. I prefer the berries." She smiled at him when he sat next to her, staring at the bag. "You require a lot of food." She teased him as she munched on berries.

The four sat on their horses, looking out at the ocean one last time before they turned to head out. Mora pointed ahead of them, a grin on her face. "Look! You can just barely see the top of the castle!"  
Ubo leaned forward, squinting her eyes as if that would help her see better. "Oh, yeah I can see the top of a tower."  
"Are you sure that's the castle?" Biana put a hand up to shield her eyes as she squinted to see.  
"I'll bet a honeyed apple that that's the castle!" Mora exclaimed, giggling as she urged her horse forward, giving the sides a light tap until her mare was trotting along.  
The three Gerudo laughed and followed after Mora, letting her take the lead as they rode past a small grove. Another, smaller herd of horses broke from the grove and ran along side them. The horses were smaller than Mora's horse, not by much though. They broke to the left as they crested a hill and the group rode along a natural land bridge . Biana looked over, her eyes filled with longing as she looked out at the ocean. But she followed her group following the grassy cliffsides until they went into a small canyon.  
Mora slowed up and paused next to a road that branched off from the one they were on. "According to the map I looked at last night, the shrine for the Horse God is that way."  
"Horse God?" Biana stopped next to Mora, looking down the path. "Do we have time to check it out?" She looked back at Gan, giving him a pleading look.  
Gan let out a soft sigh and nodded. "I don't see the harm in it." He took the lead down the path, it wasn't heavily used, but there wasn't anything wrong with the path as his horse easily moved along it.  
It didn't take long before they were crossing a recently built bridge across a small lake. Gan glanced back at his group as he slid off his horse after the bridge. "The path narrows, I don't want to risk getting the horses trapped up ahead if it narrows more."  
The other three nodded and followed Gan's lead, following him through the small canyon. They paused as they rounded the edge, up ahead was a girl in traveling clothes, wailing and curled up on the large purple petal of the mushroom in front of her. Ubo shook her head to her group, signaling that they should turn back. When everyone silently agreed and started to turn, a noise made them all stop and turn back again. The mushroom slowly opened and a large being emerged from inside, the being had no physical form save for the large horse head made from wood with a large mane that waved in a breeze that Gan couldn't feel. Purple smoke went from the head, connecting it to the large wooden body and hands. Tattered cloth covered the body in various places, ranging in colors from purple to pink to blue.  
The group stared in awe at the girl and the magical being in front of them. Ubo tugged on Biana and Gan, pulling them away from the scene in front of them. She led the way back to the horses, the four quickly climbed up and made their way back over the bridge, not one of them spoke until they were farther down the path. "What was that?" Biana looked back towards Mora, her eyes full of wonder.  
"My guess is that that was the Horse God. I'm not sure, but we can ask around when we get to the stables." Mora spoke softly as they rounded the bend, coming back to the main road.

A little while later, the group broke out of the canyon and into a large clearing where they saw five horses grazing near a pond, beyond that was a decent sized building with horse stalls on the side. It was bigger than the stables by Gerudo Valley.  
A man came out and stood out in front of the building as they approached. He was a little taller than Mora with black hair and deep brown eyes. He was stockier but had a rounded belly as if he drank his nights away. "My, my!" He clapped once and trotted closer to the group; eyes wide. "It's been a while since we had visitors! And it's been even longer since two of them were beautiful Gerudo women!"  
Gan forced a smile, wanting to be pleasant with the man. "Hello-"  
The man trotted around Gan's steed, ooing and awing the large beast before moving onto Biana's. "And I don't think I've ever seen a male Gerudo. Where did you catch these horses? It's been a while since I had a giant horse come through, let alone three! Do y'all need saddles? I have plenty of regular saddles but only two giant ones, though they are older. They should work just fine."  
Mora glanced at Gan, the corner of her mouth twitching up. Had that man taken a breath during his excited blabbering? Mora had no idea, but he was sweet with how excited he was. She slid from her horse, holding her hand out to him, giving him a warm smile. "My name is Mora. This is Ubo, Biana and Gan, we're just out traveling, while we're all still young. To see Hyrule. I'm sorry to ask, but do you think we could stay for a night or two? And we'll take the saddles. One of us can learn to enjoy riding without a saddle-"  
"Nice to meet you!" The man shook Mora's hand, moving past her and to her smaller horse, stroking the animals back. "And who said I wasn't working on a new saddle? I have my own giant horse; I enjoy making saddles for her!" He laughed, it was a laugh that started deep in one's belly and rumbled out.  
A younger boy closer to Mora's height came up to them, shaking Mora's hand and giving the Gerudo a nod. "Please forgive him, his name is Burlon. I'm his son Carvo. We don't get many guests out here so, you're more than welcome to stay for however long you need to." He had the same short black hair and dark brown eyes as his father, though he had a slimmer build.  
Gan narrowed his eyes as he watched this Carvo talk to Mora, he had to focus on keeping his breathing steady when the boy touched Mora's arm. He looked away and got off his horse, looking to Ubo when the guard got off her horse. "We should really only need one night, thank you."  
When Gan went to get off his horse, Mora turned her shoulders so Carvo's hand fell off her arm. She gave Gan a look at the too polite tone, he was forcing it. She rolled her eyes some and turned to Burlon who was drooling over Gan's horse still. "You said something about working on a saddle?"  
"Oh! Yes! I am!" Burlon waved his hand as if wanting them to follow him as he trotted back towards the building and back behind it. When they rounded the stables, Mora's jaw almost hit the floor. There was a work bench beneath an awning with a large saddle, it was a deep red in color with cream accents. "This is it! I have about three days' worth of work left on it. If y'all want, you can stay here until I get it finished. Share a few meals and warm beds."  
Mora glanced at Gan who huffed, obviously wanting that saddle. "Fine. But we'll need to make up lost time on the road."  
"I think we can handle that." Ubo smiled, a hand on her strong hips.

Later that night, the group was sitting around a fire with Carvo, Burlon and two others. One of the people with them was the woman from the Horse God. Ubo was staring, though she did try to mind her own business, but it was hard to keep her questions to herself.  
The woman awkwardly kept glancing up at Ubo, frowning when the guard would quickly look away. "Is everything alright?"  
"Yeah… I just…" Ubo swallowed the piece of meat she had been chewing on. "We haven't been out here, we were checking things out and noticed you at that… place back there."  
"The Horse God?" The woman perked up, giving them a warm smile. "I had a horse that died from old age, yesterday was the anniversary of her death. I like to go pray to the God to make sure she's doing well."  
The four froze, staring at the woman. Ubo swallowed the lump in her throat, the food felt like dust in her mouth. "I'm so s-"  
"For what? You didn't cause her old age, and it happened many years ago." She went back to eating, pausing and glancing at Ubo. "Sometimes, if your horse dies of something unnatural, the Horse God will sometimes give you your horse back." She leaned back, her shoulders relaxing. "Have you thought of names for your horses?"  
"Vedette!" Mora grinned from ear to ear, her cheeks a light red as she looked to the stable her horse was relaxing in. "I thought it sounded pretty."  
"Dinral." Gan shrugged, shoving food into his mouth once more.  
Ubo rolled her eyes and sat up a little straighter. "I named my horse in honor of our ancestor. Her name is Naboo."  
"You would." Biana laughed, shaking her head some. "Moldu sounded kind of cool to me."  
"Those are all nice names." The woman smiled at them.

Mora stared at the bed next to hers, Gan was scrunched up on the bed, he hadn't looked very comfortable when he fell asleep, but now he looked at peace. Her eyes traced the sleeping features in front of her, along his sharp nose and cheekbones. She closed her eyes as she tried her best not to imagine how soft his lips had been when they had last kissed.  
Her blissful thoughts vanished when she heard the floorboards creak as someone walked around, she kept her eyes closed and tried to keep her body relaxed as if she were asleep.  
"**You're awake.**"  
It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and the harshness of the voice made Mora whimper quietly. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing Carvo standing at the foot of her bed. His body was almost too relaxed to be up right, but it didn't matter. She could see dark marks on his arms and spreading from the corners of his eyes as he stared at her. "What do you want?"  
"**Tell me why I can't get back in. What did you do?**"  
Mora slowly sat up, her eyes a little wide. "You want back in… to where? My head?"  
"**No. Yes. I tried the other night, but I can only talk to you.**"  
"That sounds like a personal problem."  
"**You had a dream the other night, didn't you?**"  
Mora narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms. "What is it to you?"  
The body in front of her twitched oddly, Carvo's head flopped to the other shoulder. "**You'll be to Them soon. Tell Them about freeing me. Tell them what I did to you. What I made you do. Tell them about your dream.**"  
Mora watched as the body of Carvo collapsed to the floor, a sick thwack sounding as his head hit the floor. She grumbled and thought about trying to move Carvo away from the foot of her bed, but she was shook her head and slid back into her bed, pulling the cover up and over her head to hide from the world.

Biana was stretched out in the field in front of the stables, watching the clouds pass overhead. She glanced over at Mora who was sitting nearby. "I know he said it would take a few days, but it's been five days since we got here! I'm growing bored, Mora!"  
Mora shook her head, laughing some at the Gerudo. "Growing? I don't think I've seen the three of you sleep so much in my life. I'm surprised the three of you haven't withered away to nothing. But, good news Carvo said his dad should be done today. And if I'm being honest…" She lowered her voice, leaning towards Biana, frowning. "Something is off about this family. I overheard them talking last night about letters and someone being on their way. I can't explain why, but it makes me… nervous."  
Biana gave a nod of agreement. "I understand that. Perhaps we should leave after we get the saddle?"  
"Yes, that would be a good idea." Mora got up and started towards the stables, pausing to look at Biana. "I'm going to go ask what might be ahead to see if we leave tonight or early in the morning." She didn't wait for a response before she headed towards the front of the stables, sighing when she saw Carvo leaning against a fence post.  
"Hello, miss Mora. How can I pleasure you today?"  
"You realize I'm fourteen, right?"  
"You're lying. You look older than that, seventeen maybe."  
"Not lying." Mora rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms and leaned against the fence post across from Carvo's. "What lies beyond here? And will it give us issues at night?"  
"You aren't leaving me so soon, are you, Mo?" Carvo pushed off his fence, moving over to her side. "We were just getting to know each other." He reached up, pushing her hair away from her shoulders and neck. He leaned towards her; his nose close to the skin of her neck as he breathed her in. "I'd hate for that savage to steal you away."  
The sound of someone clearing their throat had Carvo backing away from Mora, a grin on his lips. Mora kept eye contact with the Hylian as Ganondorf came around the stables. "Is everything alright, Mo?"  
"Everything is fine. Carvo was just telling me about what troubles we might run into when we leave here."  
"Oh good, I was worried a flea had tried to bite you."  
Mora smiled when Carvo frowned. "No, no. I squashed it. It wasn't _savage_ enough for me." She hissed at Carvo before going to Gan's side. "Is Burlon about finished?"  
"We just finished actually-"  
"There are savages passed this point. That's why we don't get many visitors." Carvo bit out, glaring at the two. "They attack travelers for no good reason. Hyrule has had many fights with them."  
"I appreciate the warning." Gan gave a toothy grin before going behind the building with Mora so he could show her his horse all saddled up. "We should be ready to go in an hour or so. Burlon wants us to stay for one last meal, we can discuss payments then."  
Mora watched as Burlon double checked the straps before turning to Gan. "He's all ready for you to go on a test ride."  
Gan moved to his horse, easily getting up. He grabbed the reigns and clicked his tongue to urge his horse forward. The two rode around the small clearing behind the stables. While Gan and his horse were getting used to the new gear, Mora glanced at Burlon. "Tell me about these so-called savages."  
Burlon looked at her, frowning at her. "The ones beyond here?" He crossed his arms and shook his head. "I do wish you all would stay until morning. They've attacked many travelers from what my son has said. They don't trust the guards that pass through to check on us." He shrugged, glancing at the sun which was starting her decent in the sky. "But you all seem capable, I doubt they would give you much trouble."

Mora touched the small metal ribbon on the leather strap that ran across her horse's chest, the mares new name was etched into the thin metal. She glanced over at Carvo, nodding to him. "Thank you."  
"All four of them have one, each with the names you chose." Carvo stayed where he was, leaning against the desk of the inn.  
Burlon was running around the horses, double checking that the straps were tight enough to keep the saddles in place. He looked o Mora as she was the only one out and ready to go. "Are you sure you don't want to stay until morning? Those… savages… they can be ruthless."  
"People would say the same thing about the Gerudo." As Mora spoke, Biana and Ubo walked out of the inn, tightening their armor. They wore matching armored sleeves and half plates that covered most of the backs and chests. Their stomachs were bear for the world to see, to show off just how muscled the Gerudo were. Their shins were covered by durable plates that connected to their shoes and to the baggy cloth that covered their thighs.  
As they went to their horses, Gan walked out, he was in a similar outfit, but it didn't cover nearly as much of his torso as it did for his guards. His bright red hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that went to his shoulders. He was toying with the father and son duo, letting them know that they shouldn't mess with the Gerudo, or doubt them. He went to Mora, easily helping her up onto her horse. He rested his hand on her thigh, feeling the scratchiness from the travel clothes she wore. "Thank you for your hospitality, our debts are paid in full."  
As Gan got on his horse and started to lead his group away, Carvo pushed off the desk, jaw dropped in awe. "Who are you?"  
"Prince to the Gerudo." Ganondorf glared over his shoulder, easily urging his large horse away from the stables.


	14. Land of Courage

The horses traveled at a slow trot as they started winding down into a small gorge, Mora cast one more look over her shoulder at the stable. She bit her lip, her brows knitting together as she tipped her chin up, staring at the back of Gan's head. "Gan… He's back."  
Gan immediately slowed his horse, pulling back harder on the reigns than he had meant to. He twisted in his saddle, staring at Mora. "How long?"  
"I… I heard him the last night we were in the valley and then… last night… he took control of Carvo and talked to me. I… he wants me to tell Them something. I have no idea who _Them_ is… are…? But he wants me to tell them about what happened. I don't know if he's talking about the Royal family or who…"  
"Who is back?" Ubo frowned, looking between Mora and Ganondorf.  
"Demise. He haunted Mora for over a month before my birthday, and then he controlled her and-"  
"Oh, that." Ubo cut the prince off, giving Mora a sad look. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
Mora looked away, gnashing her teeth as she shifted on her saddle. "I…I just… I don't know. I didn't hear anything from him after that night, so I didn't make a big deal out of it. Besides, if I had said something, we wouldn't have been able to turn back. We have to inform the other nations."  
Gan started to bite at Mora for not telling him when Biana threw her hand up to silence them. He turned a glare to her but saw the way she looked around. Gan tensed and slowly looked around as well. They were at the bottom of the winding slope, surrounded by rock walls on all sides now. Ahead of them stood two figures, patiently waiting for them. "Ubo… you'll be behind me, then Mora and Biana in the back."  
The three nodded and waited until Gan clicked at his horse to start moving again, they all fell in line and moved cautiously behind their prince. Trees joined the rocks around them as they slowly approached the two beings. As they got closer, Gan noticed one was a bent over old man and the other was a younger woman. He stopped his horse in front of them, taking in both people in front of him.  
The old man was in a headdress of sorts, feathers stuck out from a small pendant that was woven into dreaded gray hair. He had paint on his face that bled down his neck and bare shoulders. If Gan had thought the man weak due to being bent in half, he would have been wrong. Gan could see muscle under the taught skin and thick leathers.  
The woman was in only what Gan could assume was travel gear. She on a leather top that hugged her torso, but rounded bone covered her shoulders and long pants hugged her thighs, showing that there was muscle beneath. She had a welcoming smile on her face as she dipped her head to Ganondorf. "Hello, Holder of Power. We have been waiting for you."  
Gan fought the urge to look back at his group, he needed to trust his instincts more. He scratched the back of his hand and watched them. "And where… exactly are we?"  
The woman's smile spread from her plush lips to the deep amber eyes as she gave a deep bow. "Why… where are my manners? Welcome…  
…to the Land of Courage, my Prince."

Ganondorf and his group sat there on their horses, stunned into silence. When they didn't say anything, the woman frowned at them. "Are you not the Prince? Was our informant wrong? You are the King of Thieves now?"  
"Wh-What? No… I'm the Prince of the Gerudo-"  
"Oh, good. I did not wish to offend." She started to smile again when her eyes flicked away from Gan to the movement at his side.  
Mora came up next to Ganondorf, ignoring the hisses from Ubo and Biana to get back on her horse. She frowned at the woman and old man. "How do you know of Ganondorf?"  
"Is he not _the_ male Gerudo? Is he not scratching at the Triforce of Power as I speak right now?" As if to double check, the woman and Mora looked to Gan, seeing his right hand pause over the back of his left hand, as if he had been scratching at it. "The Goddesses speak to us, little one. They told us bad times were coming, they told us our Promised Prince would arrive soon. And here he is."  
Mora narrowed her eyes; she could feel Gan straighten on his horse next to her. He had always tried not to show it, but he enjoyed the attention and the power behind it. She started to say something when the man spoke again. She waited until the man stopped talking before talking, cutting off the woman. "What are your names?"  
The woman gave a tilt of her head, her smile growing into a dangerous grin. "This is Dahak, and I am Najida." She turned to the side, sweeping an arm out behind her. "Come, we can explain more while we walk?"  
Gan slid from his horse, taking the reins in hand and guiding his horse as he started to follow after Dahak and Najida. He stopped when Mora grabbed his arm, frowning at him. "Gan… we can't just…"  
"Mora, they know about my hand… they know about me. Let's give them a chance." Gan took her hand in his, squeezing her fingers gently. "If I'm wrong, then when we're running away you can tell me 'I told you so.'"  
Mora tried to give him a warm smile, but it was worried at best. "Fine." She went back to her horse, grabbing the reins and following the prince. They made their way along the path, she looked down when dirt turned into stone. She looked up, her jaw dropping at the mass of stone buildings and pillars. The stone path split, one way went left beneath a large archway while the other went right, towards what looked like a small village. In front of them was a small building, Mora looked around at the people that were in front of the building before them. Each had on clothes similar to Dahak and Najida, leathers and paint that spread from their cheeks, down their necks and to various areas on their bodies.  
They all stopped what they were doing to stare at the group that came through their home. Biana leaned into Mora, eyeing the people around them. "They don't seem like the trusting type."  
"Because we aren't." Najida looked over her shoulder at them, a warning in her eyes as she led them down the path to the right.  
Gan looked around at the people they passed, at the buildings they passed. The buildings were small, single floor with small openings that resembled windows with wooden shutters on either side of the small openings. Each building had a doorway, most were barren, but some steps had an elderly person or a younger child sitting and watching. A few children got up and ran alongside the group as they moved down the path.  
Mora looked at the children trotting next to her, one of the little girls looked up at her, grinning at Mora. The girl had bright amber eyes, so bright they almost looked gold. Mora smiled back at the girl, glancing over at Biana and Ubo. Most people they passed were watching Gan with admiration in their eyes. Their path led them to a small wooden bridge, to their right was a small set of stairs that led to a small platform. Najida pointed up to the platform. "You can tie your horses up there, no one will bother them, though the kids might try to play with them."  
Gan went first, easily tying his horse to a post before turning and taking Ubo's horse, and then Mora's and Biana's. When he finished, a boy ran up to him, a flimsy wooden sword clutched in his hands. He started spouting something that sounded like words, but Gan didn't understand them.  
Najida laughed at Gan's reaction, tsking at the boy. "Biribo! He does not understand our language, be kind to our guests."  
The boy made an 'o' face before tipping his head. "Yes, biribi." He turned back to Gan, giving him a wide grin. "I wish to fight the holder of Power!"  
Gan held a fist out to the boy, grinning. "Maybe later we can have a spar?" When the boy put his fist to Gan's, Gan turned and followed after Dahak and Najida, his group on his tail.  
He looked at his surroundings, the deeper in they got, the more the pillars started to resemble animals. He saw an owl, a boar and a dragon. A dragon snaked along the path next to them as they went down and around a small, but deep pond. They rounded the bend and the rock walls that surrounded them turned into carved stones. A carved dragon stared down at the prince, claws curled around the tops of pillars but that only made it look like the dragon was going to pounce if given the order.  
Mora's jaw dropped at the carved stone around them, her eyes widened though when she looked closer, seeing people sitting on the high walls. She turned back and walked a little faster, grabbing Gan's hand. The two followed their guides with Biana and Ubo close behind them. Their path came to a creek and turned left, following the water. Dragons loomed overhead and watched them from the other side of the water.  
When they rounded this bend, the four outsiders froze, amazement and wonder holding them in place. Before them the gorge split into a large opening that held the body of water that fed the creek next to them. Two bridges, small in size, took their path over the water. Beyond that, a stone dragon lay before them, its jaw splayed open and its large stone claws dug into the ground.  
Najida paused and waited for them while Dahak went ahead. "Like what you see?"  
"Where are we, Najida?" Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. He had never seen carvings like this before, except when he went to that tomb to find Mora.  
"You'll see in a moment." She turned and led them down the path and across the bridge. They climbed the stairs that led into the dragons' mouth, a small spring lay at the back of the dragons' throat and a Goddess statue stood in the middle. "We protect the Spring of Courage. We await the next Princess, Prince and Hero. It is our duty."  
As she spoke, Mora let go of Gan's hand and turned in a slow circle, when she was looking behind them, she stopped. What looked to be the entire village was behind them. "Najida-" She turned but the woman walking down the path towards the spring. Gan was following her, Ubo stayed close to her prince while Biana waited with Mora.  
**There is something they don't want you to see. Let me show you. **  
Biana took a step back from Mora, her eyes wide. "Mo…?" As she looked at the girl, she watched her left eye turn completely black before her iris turned yellow with red lining the slit pupil.  
**Look at the water. **  
Mora looked at the water, her eyes narrowing when she saw a green energy crawling from the water around the dragon and towards the path they were on. Her eyes followed the green energy, watching as it clung to Najida. She stepped forward to shout to Gan when dread filled her body.  
**You really would do anything to protect him. How stupid. **  
Mora felt something hot and wet drip down her cheeks. She reached up, wiping away the tears, but when she looked at her hands, a dark substance coated her fingers. "No… no… Gan… what did I do?"  
Gan looked at her, fear and anger swirling in his eyes as he went to run to her. Najida grabbed Gan, holding him back as Dahak moved to Mora, grabbing her cheeks. "What darkness plagues your mind, child?"  
**Don't let him touch you. **  
Mora tried to rip away but Dahak kept a tight hold on her. He swept a leg out, kicking Mora's legs out from beneath her so she landed awkwardly on her knees. "You have to fight him, child. It will be hard since you willingly let him in, but we will help."  
**Get away from him!**  
Before Mora could fight against the old man's hold, a woman came up next to him, her dark brown hair blew in a breeze that Mora couldn't feel. The woman's hand, glowing a soft gold, touched Mora's forehead. When she pulled her hand away, the world around Mora became dark and unfocused.  
"Don't fucking touch her!" Gan howled, easily ripping away from Najida. He caught Mora when she started to fall to the ground. He glared at the old man; anger colored his cheeks pink. "What did you do?"  
Dahak returned the glare, his hands dropping to his side. "Will one of you three explain to us… why the Demon King possesses this child?" His voice was rough, and his speech broken as the flickering fire light highlighted the angry gold in his eyes.  
Gan felt his anger melt into worry as he looked down at Mora. He tried to think of how to tell them, but it was Biana's calm voice that broke through his worry. "Several months ago, our Mora went exploring in caves to find our prince a gift for his sixteenth name day. She fell down a… I'm not sure what happened to be exact… none of us do, she hasn't told any of us. But about a month ago… the darkness took control of her- correct, Gan? Yes. It took over and took her to this temple near the cave she found. It was there this monster made her release him."  
Dahak kept his eyes on Mora as Biana spoke he turned to Najida, sweeping an arm over Gan and Mora. "Take them to the shaman. We will tell them what we know of the Demon King."  
Najida watched the old man walk away before she went to Gan, glaring at Mora's limp form. "Come."  
"Hey!" Gan snarled, stomping his foot on the ground to make Najida look at him. "Will she be okay?"  
"When we get her to our shaman, he will help her. For now, I am not sure." The woman turned away and led the way back to the village.  
Ubo and Biana watched Ganondorf for a moment, waiting to see what he would do. Gan glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he tried to focus on a spot at the edge of the pool that seemed hazy. He shook his head and blinked a few times, had he seen a woman standing in the water? With a click of his tongue, he followed after Najida.  
She led them to a small rounded house that was just before the wooden bridge. Gan hadn't noticed it before, but he had also been distracted by the stone beasts that surrounded them. There wasn't a wooden door like there was on the other houses, but he did have to duck through strings of clay beads. He turned to Ubo and Biana, signaling to them with a tip of his head to wait outside.  
"Welcome, my Prince." An old woman easily plucked Mora from the startled Gan, taking her to a spot next to a firepit in the middle of the small house. "Naji, did Dahak do this or-"  
"No. The Spring warmed around my feet when Dahak touched the girl and then she collapsed." Najida leaned against an empty spot on the wall, glancing to Gan as he found a spot out of the way to sit.  
"Mmm…" The old woman turned to Gan, tipping her head. "You hold a secret about her."  
Gan straightened; his eyes wide. "Jayr knows, might as well spit out your secrets, Prince. She's giving you the chance to be honest." Najida tipped her head so she was glaring down her nose at Gan.  
"Right…" Gan lowered his head, hiding his face in his hands as he attempted to rub the worry away from his body. "He… in that tomb, when I asked who he was, he said he was Demise, he was Malice, Rage. We were the Calamity. He also…" Gan bit his lip as he stared at Mora, the only sign of life was the rising of her chest as she breathed. "It also said that… Mora was of Royal blood, later calling her… it called her a 'Goddess blooded bitch'. I had hoped it wasn't true… but before it called her that… she fired an arrow and blew a hole through these huge stone doors."  
He shook his head at the looks the two women gave him. "I have no idea how she did it, there was this dark magic on the tip of her arrow and when it hit the doors everything exploded." He paused, scratching his jaw for a moment. "She did say something told her to fire an arrow though."  
"I believe we're ready to tell you about the Thousand Year Seal."  
The three in the room turned and looked at the door, Dahak strode in, having lost the slump of his old shoulders. Gan looked out the door, frowning at the dark sky. It was going to be a long night.  
"Before we begin. No one ever told me, I know we're in the Land of Courage. But who are you people… really?" Gan watched as Dahak and Jayr set a pot over the fire, placing water and herbs into it. He had expected one of them to talk but it was Najida who turned to him.  
"We are the people who used to help guide the Royal family, but a thousand years ago a great and terrible power came to our land, our people helped to seal it away, but that King was a nervous man, said our magic was too much, so we were ordered to the shadows. So, from the shadows we have helped the Sheikah who now help the Royal family." She looked at the elders, breathing in deep as the water began to boil. "We are the Zonai."


	15. The Thousand Year Seal

"Are you ready, Jayr?" Dahak stirred the contents of the boiling pot as the old woman stood and turned her back to the room. He kept his eyes on the contents before him, steam slow seeped from the pot and filled the room.  
Gan's jaw hit the floor when the steam rolled across the room, going from the faint white steam to a deep green as it grew closer to Jayr. His eyes widened when the robe that was wrapped around her torso fell to the ground, showing off a tattoo that covered her entire back. In the middle was a boar, spines coming off its' back while green swirled around the beast on her back. Gan looked to Najida, as if asking the woman with his eyes if he could speak, but the shake of her head told him to wait until story time was over.  
His attention went back to the boar, he couldn't pull his eyes away from the beast, no matter how hard he tried. But then something happened. Dahak looked up, his eyes focusing on the area above Mora. He said something in his native tongue before looking to Jayr. "Our Goddess will show the girl what we are about to show the Prince." He turned his attention to Ganondorf, frowning at the prince. "This is no fairytale meant to scare a young pup, Prince. This tale comes from the lips of someone who was there, who saw this dark beast for herself. You, in your current state are not strong enough to help in a fight against him. We ask you to stay for a while and awaken yourself before you carry on. If not for Hyrule, then for her." Dahak tipped his head towards Mora.  
Gan nodded and rubbed his hands on his pants, trying to get rid of the anxious feeling. He breathed in deep, a series of things happened, but he wasn't sure in what order. His body went numb and his head hit the hard stone beneath him, the world went dark as the beast on the old womans back sprang to life.  
Dahak rolled his eyes and waved to Najida, urging her to help the Prince back up. When she pulled him into a sitting position, Gan rubbed the back of his head, groaning. "You weren't supposed to breathe in that deep." He sat with his legs crossed, ignoring the groans from Gan. "Now… long ago, this world knew not of the evil that corrupted Power…"

Mora rolled over, holding her head. She looked around, frowning at the empty hut she was in as she rolled over onto her hands and knees. The stone beneath her fingers was ice cold and fog licked at her arms. She pushed up until she was sitting on her knees, her body stilling when she saw two beady red eyes staring at her from the corner. A whimper left her as panic set in, she shot to her feet and ran out the door, skidding to a halt just outside the door when she saw a woman standing on the stone path beneath the hut.  
"Sadly, there is nowhere for you to run to, my dear. I wish I hadn't had to do what I did, but if I hadn't, then he would have corrupted the Spring." The woman tipped her head, frowning at Mora, and then down at whatever was next to Mora's feet.  
Mora risked looking down, as soon as she did though, all the fear left her body and she let out a laugh. Her shoulders shook and she snorted as she laughed at the small being next to her. "I-I'm afraid of you?!"  
"You only laugh because you made me this way!" There was a small boar, round and tiny legged, snarling at her. His tusks were small and rounded at the ends, no threat to her.  
"I made you this way?"  
"Yes, this is your doing. I locked the two of you in your mind, since it is your mind and not his, you control his form. I must say, Rage, you are absolutely adorable like this." The woman giggled, covering her mouth as she tried to hide her enjoyment.  
"You stupid Goddess blooded brats. I'll kill all of you! Every last one of you!" The tiny boar squealed and ran at Mora, thumping into her shin.  
Mora leaned down, picking up the small beast, laughter in the tears that pricked her eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it." She turned to the woman, squeezing the boar to her chest. "Who are you?"  
"It will be easier to show you." The woman waited for Mora to come to her, when the younger Hylian came down the steps to her, the woman reached out, touching Mora's cheeks. "I will do my best to show you what is important here, it will be confusing, but Dahak will explain in full when you wake up."  
_Mora started to ask a question when a sharp breeze hit her, she closed her eyes and hugged Rage to her chest, instinctively trying to protect the small beast in her arms. The wind died down and Mora slowly opened her eyes, she was in a room she didn't recognize, a large bed dressed in white lay before her. She turned in a slow circle, pausing when she saw a mirror, in the reflection she looked like the woman, dark brown hair with deep green eyes. She didn't have Rage in her arms, but when Mora looked down, Rage was there, his little snout moving around as he sniffed at the air around them. "We'll start here." The woman in the reflection spoke softly._

"_My Princess, I'm sorry to bother you-" A knock at the door had the woman turning away from the mirror, her off white dress swirled around her legs in a mass of satin and silks. When she opened the door a woman bowed, she was dressed in all white and it made her look ghastly with how pale she was. "The Zonai wish to speak with you, they say it is urgent."_  
_The princess gave a nod and moved past the other woman, easily making her way through the sitting room and into the halls. Paintings lined the walls she walked by, each one was a woman with blue eyes and blond hair. She knew they were her ancestors, though she couldn't help but feel like she was the odd one out, none of the others showed the same dark hair or vibrant green eyes that she had. She moved quietly down the stairs, pausing halfway down when she saw a head of bright red standing over the others._  
_She smiled and moved faster, but her feet were still quiet as she moved to the group. "Ganon!"_  
_The redheaded male whirled around; his large arms spread for the woman. "Zelda! How are you, my Princess?"_  
_Zelda laughed and buried herself against his strong torso, relaxing into him. "I'm doing well, how are you, my King?" She pulled back, her smile fading when she saw the mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. "You did not come here to darken my doorstep, Ganon."_  
_"He didn't… we did."_  
_Zelda turned and saw the small group of people clustered nearby, they wore thick leathers and armor made from bone. Their weapons were sharpened bone, unlike her and Ganon's soldiers that held iron weapons. "Right… I'm sorry, I… my maid told me you all came. Come, let's go somewhere more private."_  
_The group walked by the open door of the throne room and to a small chamber next to it. They went inside, taking a spot around the large oak table that sat in the middle of the room. Zelda went to the far end, reaching to pull her chair out when a large tanned hand grabbed the chair and pulled it out for her. With a smile, Zelda sat, letting the Gerudo male push her towards the table._  
_A Zonai warrior who appeared to be closer to Zelda's age, set a cloth map on the middle of the table, pointing to the large open field in the middle of the map. "My Princess, we've noticed activity here, and… if we're being honest, it doesn't look good." He looked at her, his eyes were bright blue. He was much different than his Zonai brothers that were with him. But that was as it should be, he was the fabled Hero, Link. "Our Shaman had a dream where this evil was trying to come into our world, saying things about how the Triforce belongs to him. There wasn't much more to it, from what she told me."_  
_The two in front of Link stared at him as they tried to process what he said. "She… dreamed… of this?" Zelda thumped back into her chair but instantly shot forward when she felt Ganon's warm skin against her shoulders._  
_"Yes, that's what Shaman's do." Link seemed excited to inform the two on something they seemed to be ill-informed on. He gave them a warm smile before pointing to the map again. "Anyways, our warriors and Shaman have gathered here and are ready to seal the darkness whenever you all are. That's why I got Ganon before coming here."_  
_Zelda got up and moved to Link, a soft sigh leaving her. "Oh, Link…" She cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly, smiling against his lips when he stiffened up. "You're honestly so sweet." She moved around him and headed for the doors. "I'll be ready in a few minutes. Are you ready, Ganon?"_  
_"I was born ready, my Princess." Ganon purred as he stood next to Link, towering over the smaller warrior. He watched as Zelda left the room before glaring down at Link, his eyes filled with an emotion that Link couldn't read. "Treat her well, Hero, or I'll happily swoop in."_  
_Link stared up at the Gerudo, his face even and betraying no emotion as the taller male walked away from him. He never understood why the leader of the Zonai had pushed so hard to get the Royal family to agree to marry him and Zelda, it was clear that the Princess had feelings for the Gerudo. He shook his head and left the room, pulling the skull helmet up and over his head._  
_Zelda rushed back to her room, waving to her maid to follow her. "My armor is still in here, correct?"_  
_"Yes, my Princess." Her maid trotted to the chest at the end of her bed, pulling out gloves and boots as well as a chest piece. "Here, it should fit you just fine."_

_Ganon and Link looked up when Zelda came trotting down the stairs, her dark brown hair was braided behind her while her side-swept bangs were pulled back behind her crown that topped her head. Ganon let out a low whistle, his eyes taking in the royal blue that clung to the Princess's body in the form of satins beneath the golden armor. "One of these lifetimes, Zel, I'll steal you away."_  
_"In your dreams, King of Thieves." Zelda teased as she led the way outside, not at all surprised that her horse was geared up and waiting for her. "Shall we?"_

_It wasn't a long ride from the castle to the fields of Hyrule, but Zelda hadn't been expecting so many people to be waiting for them. At least a dozen Zonai warriors stood to one side while Gerudo, Sheikah and Hylian soldiers stood on the other side. The princess barely got off her horse when a small cluster of people approached them, it was five people of mixed races. "What is it?" Zelda groaned as she put her hands on her hips, looking between the group._  
_"We don't think we should open this… whatever it is. What if the Zonai are lying?" A man with a rounded belly glared over at the hunched over Shaman, his dark brown eyes full of anger. "What if-"_  
_"I don't have time for what ifs, Rauru. I have a Shaman telling me that she's seen a prophecy, and if I have half the chance to seal away a new threat before it's a threat? I will take that chance." Zelda snapped, crossing her arms as she looked to the others, daring them to argue with her._  
_A small Zora stepped forward, giving Zelda a small smile. "I agree with the princess; we will have only one shot to do this. The Zonai said they have an idea; we should trust them." She turned, motioning to the Zonai Shaman that was hunched over three large chests. The woman's dark brown hair was done up in intricate braids with little pieces of bone and clay beads strong throughout. Her eyes were an amber color._  
_Link led the way over, pausing in front of the three large chests that the woman was looking over. "Shaman, are you about ready?"_  
_The woman looked up, smiling at Link. "Of course I am! I was just double checking them. The Sheikah will open a hole of sorts, and then we will pay the debts to seal. The three of you will have to work quickly to seal away this evil. I have dreamed it a thousand times over, we will succeed." She turned, waving to some warriors, motioning to the chests. "Get these in place around that machine in the middle, hurry now."_  
_The warriors did as they were told and moved the chests while Ganon, Zelda, and Link went to their respective spots in front of the three chests. Zelda looked back at hers, seeing the Triforce with the bottom left colored in. Wisdom. An owl stood watch over that piece of the Triforce on her chest, meaning a dragon stood watch over Link's while a boar was over Ganon's._  
_Zelda watched the machine in the middle, it looked like an oddly shaped orb with blue runes on it. It made a whirring noise as it rotated before them, twitching and rolling around some. She looked around again, seeing Zonai behind each of them. She looked back at the small group behind her, her green eyes blazing with wonder. "Wait… what debt is needed to seal the darkness?"_  
_"Do not worry yourself, Princess. We will carry that burden." One warrior bowed deeply to the Princess, his forehead touching the ground._  
_Zelda blinked a few times to rid herself of the surprise of a response. She had never gotten a Zonai warrior to talk to her, besides Link. He had once told her that warriors were not worthy enough to talk to a Goddess. She had told him she wasn't a Goddess, just a Princess, but according to the Zonai, she was close enough to a Goddess that they counted her as one. "I… yes… thank you for taking on this burden." Whatever is was._  
_When Zelda turned around, a gust of wind hit her, making her gasp and throw her arms up to protect herself. She took half a step back, bracing herself against the strong wind. She slowly lowered her arms when the wind died down, giving her a moment to catch her breath. A bright light erupted from the orb like machine, causing Zelda to shield her eyes once more. She let out a growl and put her hand up in front of her, the outlines of the triforce glowed on the back of her hand with the bottom left triangle glowing the brightest._  
_"Are you ready, Princess? We only have one shot at this!" Ganon shouted from her left, his voice was loud and full of pride as he laughed._  
_"Yes. Link… is the Master Sword ready?" She asked, glanced to her right, awaiting the Hero's response._  
_A moment later, Link shouted, eager and ready for a fight. "Yes, it is!"_  
_"Then as long as Ganondorf is ready-" A loud laugh that came from her left interrupted her, making her smile. "Fine." She planted her feet, turning her shoulders side face to the bright light in the middle of them, her eyes filled with determination as she readied herself. "Open it."_  
_As soon as the words left her mouth, the air whipped around her like a tornado, blowing her hair and dress around her. Zelda pushed her hair out of her face, glaring at the bright light. She could hear the machine in front of her crying out as it did something to the bright light, she didn't understand the technology behind this, she didn't understand this at all. But then she felt it, a raw and unending hatred._  
_The sheer force of the hatred threatened to buckle Zelda's knees. She stumbled, but a strong hand caught her arm from behind. "Steady yourself, princess!" She nodded and stood up straight, sweat breaking out across her forehead as something broke from the light. It was almost too dark to see, but then she forced herself to focus on it. She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up at the monster that emerged._  
_It dripped and oozed a black goo; it had the snout of a boar with tusks that could tear holes in the castle. Its' eyes glowed a pinkish red while the same burning flame in its' eyes covered its' back in two spines. One hooved foot slammed into the ground, causing Zelda to bounce. It loomed over her, glaring down at her when she landed on her ass._  
_Zelda let out a shriek when the beast roared at her, she threw her hands up as if that would protect her as the beast stepped out of the cage of light. It took up the entirety of the area between the three Triforce wielders._  
_Ganon started to move when he heard Link shout from the other side. "Zelda! Stand up! We must seal it! Stand up!" He glanced over, seeing that Link was standing over Zelda with the Master Sword in hand. He looked back to the beast and his jaw dropped, a bright green magic groped at the beast, tangling around its legs then up to its snout._  
_"You mustn't be afraid!" Ganon looked over, seeing the small Shaman with her hands pressed together and bright green magic wrapped around her thin wrists._  
_Zelda got to her feet, holding her hand out in front of her body. "Link go back to your spot. We can do this." Her heart was slamming in her chest as she stared up at the beast. With a sharp breath in, the Triforce blazed to life on the back of her hand. She saw two similar flares or light to her left and to her right._  
_The beast shook, scraping a hoof on the ground and lowering its head as it prepared to charge at Zelda. As soon as it rushed forward, three cones of light hit it, turning into chains. Similar to the green magic that held onto it already. Zelda could feel the magic latch on to the beast, at least a part of it. "Now, Princess! Pull it in!" The voice came from behind her, she didn't know why she did what she did next, but she grabbed the magic. She gave a hard yank, gasping when the beast lurched towards her. She glanced back, seeing the Zonai warriors place their hands on the chest._  
_"How…?" She looked around as if looking to Link and Ganon would give her the answers she needed, she saw Ganon doing the same as her, yanking on the magic made chain, pulling the monstrosity towards his chest. She looked to Link, she couldn't tell what he was doing, but whatever it was, the beast tried to turn its' head to the Hero, trying to get to him._  
_"Princess!" Zelda looked back at the Zonai behind her, green magic covered their arms, but then she noticed that there were only three when there had been four. She glanced down, the chest almost seemed to become an endless pit of darkness, but there was a hint of green magic deep in the belly of that darkness._  
_The beast gave a hard yank on Zelda, making her lose her footing for a moment. She gasped and dug her heels into the ground, pulling on the chain she created._  
_Mora started to run to the scene she watched, her eyes wide. But Rage leapt from her arms, cutting her off. "Where do you think you're going, brat?"_  
_"The Princess… she needs help-"_  
_"This is a memory from the Princess. You won't be able to do anything."_  
_Mora watched as the three struggled, narrowing her eyes on Rage. "That thing, is you?"_  
_"I am a part of that."_  
_"I've never heard of the Triforce becoming chains. How do I know you aren't messing with me!?" Mora swept Rage up in her arms, looking him over, then up at the beast. The tiny boar in her grasp was a fraction of the size of that monster. But they looked the same. Minus the glowing mane of Malice. She started to speak again when light exploded in the field before her. She shielded her eyes for a moment, peaking between her fingers at the mess._  
_Zelda thrust the hand with the Triforce of Wisdom at the beast once more, the chain turned into a cone of bright light. The Princess slowly lowered her hand, a small diamond of darkness fell into her palms. Everything was quiet around her; all she could focus on was this black crystalline object in her hands. She quickly turned and dropped it into the chest, a wave of magic washing over her._  
_She looked up in time to see the Zonai warriors vanish in a flash of green magic, she watched the chest swallow the magic and then slam shut. "W… wait! No!" Zelda went to grab the chest when someone grabbed her. "No! They-" She turned, seeing a warrior holding her away from the chest._  
_Ganon stepped back from his chest, frowning at the way it glowed green. "Why didn't you tell us that you would be using yourselves to seal the darkness?" He turned, going still when he saw a man holding onto the Shaman. "Hey now…"_  
_The man looked almost sick as he used the Shaman to hold himself up, his hair burned bright red as if it were fire. His skin was dark with grayish white marks all over. "What… what did you do?" The man roared as he faced Zelda, his dark eyes narrowed as he studied her. "You… you're not the Goddess."_  
_Zelda pushed away from the warrior that held her, turning to the man. "Who… who are you?"_  
_"We need to seal him! He- He is the-!" The Shaman gasped for air when the arm around her neck tightened._  
_"Give me… the Triforce… and we all walk away happy." The man growled, raising his other arm, a long black blade in his hand. He cast a glance at Ganon, frowning when he saw the Triforce of Power. "Has my hatred not been reborn in you?" He let out a growl and refocused on Zelda, pulling his arm back with the dark blade._  
_"This world knows not of the hatred! It only knows of the love these three have for each other! Your hatred has no place here, Demise!" The Shaman struggled in the mans grasp, her nails dug into the flesh of his arm, but she was a flea on a boar's backside._  
_"Oh?" The man put his lips to the Shaman's ear, whispering something to her. A smirk grew on his cold lips as he turned dark eyes on the Princess once more. "I will rule this world, if not today… maybe tomorrow." He thrust his arm forward, the blade leaving his grasp._  
_Mora dropped Rage; her legs moved before she could think. She didn't know what she was doing, she could hear Rage yelling at her though she wasn't sure what he was yelling. She could see that time slowed around her, the Princess fell back, trying to avoid the blade that was thrown, her hand up to protect herself. A bright golden light exploded to her left and in the center where the man and Shaman stood. She could see Link running as fast as he could to get to Zelda, but she made it there first._  
_Zelda looked down at her lap, hearing a light 'pit-pat' of something dripping against the armor that protected her legs. She slowly looked up, seeing the tip of the dark blade inches from her face, blood slowly dripping from the tip._

"The Shaman called the man Demise, we can only assume-" Dahak nearly jumped from his skin when Mora started coughing and gagging. He got up and started to move to the girl when Gan all but leapt over the fire in the middle of the room. "Roll her onto her side-"  
Gan easily rolled Mora onto her side, letting her curl up against his legs as her body heaved. He rubbed her back gently, as the girl started to cough up a murky liquid. "What happened to Demise?"  
Jayr moved to Mora, she leaned down and touched the liquid Mora coughed up. She gave Gan a shove, glaring at him. "Don't touch this. Move. Move." The old woman forced Gan away from Mora, taking his spot as Dahak cleared his throat.  
"Demise was sealed by the Ganondorf of that time, in the crown he had been wearing. Ganondorf couldn't touch the crown after that, it was said that it was too hot for him to touch. His personal guard, Nabooru-"  
"Nabooru? How was she a personal guard? She was a Chieftain… a Queen-" Gan questioned, leaning in towards Dahak, his eyes wide. He stood over Jayr and Mora, wanting to push the shaman out of the way, but also wanting Dahak to finish this wild tale.  
"If you would save your questions, _boy_." Dahak growled, flicking a hand at Gan. "Nabooru took the crown, held onto it. Ganondorf became ill shortly after that, he was in a constant dream-"  
"It wasn't shortly." Jayr hissed, glaring at Dahak. "Ganon and Nabooru wed shortly after the events in that field. Then, sometime after that Ganon became ill, the Gerudo told me that he still breathed, but he could not move his own fingers. Nabooru… she had to-"  
"The Gerudo told you?" Gan tipped his head, staring at the old woman. "I only knew of Nabooru, my mother never taught me about this Ganon that you talk about-" He looked down when he saw Mora move. "Mo?"  
Mora reached up, touching Jayr's hair. "Shaman?"


	16. A Drunken Dance

Jayr frowned down at Mora, lightly touching the girl's dark hair. She grabbed a piece of cloth, wiping Mora's mouth with it. "Hush, child." The old woman cooed when Mora whimpered and tried to push the cloth away. "Let me get this vile off your face." When the small Hylian stopped fighting, Jayr pointed to Gan, getting his attention once more. "Prince, give me some of that herbal water from the kettle, there should be a small cup on the table behind you."  
Gan did as he was told and grabbed the small cup when he found it. He dunked it into the kettle before handing it to Jayr. "What is that stuff?"  
"That she threw up? Malice. The herbal water is just herbs that help with cleansing the body and mind." Jayr smiled at Gan while she tipped Mora's head back, forcing her to drink the water. She squeezed the back of Mora's neck when the girl fought her once more. "Drink, child. This will combat any malice left."  
Gan looked back to Dahak, then to Jayr once more. "Hey… how do you know so much about what happened back then?"  
Jayr glanced up at Gan, smiling more, showing him the gaping holes between teeth. "Why, I was there."  
"But… that was a thousand years ago."  
"Yes."  
"You shouldn't be alive."  
"And why not?"  
"Because, that was a thousand years ago."  
"Maybe the Goddesses have a plan for me, and they need me here to fulfil that duty." Jayr purred as she let Mora relax on the floor. "Najida, take the Prince and not-princess to some beds, along with their guards. It is late, we will talk more in the morning."  
Ganondorf nodded and scooped Mora up, giving her a warm smile when she grumbled at him. He dipped his head at Dahak and Jayr as he turned to Najida. "Thank you, I would like to ask more questions come morning."  
Najida ducked out of the hut, walking by Ubo and Biana. "We don't have many places to rest, but some of our warriors are out deep in the woods on patrols so their homes are open for a few nights."  
"We have to go warn the others about what is coming, we can't stay more than a day or two." Gan spoke as he shifted Mora in his grasp. He hadn't realized it was so late, but the moon was nearly at her peak as they traveled into the heart of the village.  
Najida stopped next to a building, gesturing to it. "There's a common room and two shared rooms, each has two beds. It's a common home for our warriors that haven't taken a mate. You may use their beds." She turned to go when Biana followed her, she paused, giving the female Gerudo a look. "Can I help you?"  
"No, our packs are on the horses, I would like to change out of these gross clothes, so I was going to get our packs, following you is the only way to the horses."  
Gan looked at Ubo who let out a soft sigh. He looked down at Mora, who had slumped against his chest and fallen asleep on the short walk over. "Ubo… on the way back home I would like to come back here and see if they would help me with fighting techniques."  
Ubo looked to her prince, nodding in agreement. "I think that would be wise." She held the door open for him, smiling when he paused in the common room. "I think it would be alright if the two of you took the room to the right. I will sleep out here to keep watch. These people act like friends, but I would like to make-"  
"It's better to be safe than sorry. I agree with you. Thank you for keeping watch, Ubo." Gan kissed the side of her head as he walked around her and into the room on the right. It wasn't very big, just enough room for two beds and two wardrobes for the warriors. He carefully set Mora down on one of the beds, watching her sleep for a moment. He leaned down, kissing her forehead softly. "I'll learn how to protect you, Mora. I promise."

"Gan, it's time to wake up." Mora carefully shook the large male, smiling at his groans. "Come on, we need to talk to the Zonai this morning." She leaned back when he snored away, ignoring her prodding. She climbed onto his bed, plopping down on his hips. "Gan. If you open your eyes, I'll take my shirt off."  
The sleeping giant stopped breathing for a moment before one eye slowly opened. Mora let out a laugh and got up, lightly smacking Gan's chest. "Alright, pervert."  
"My eyes are open, but your shirt is still on." Gan watched her, following her every move. "I feel lied to."  
Mora looked back at him, smirking. "It's a strategy of war, Gan. And I, it seems I have won this battle."  
"But not yet the war." Gan teased as he sat up. "How long have you been up?"  
"Not long, get dressed and meet us outside, Najida is getting cranky." Mora slipped out of the room to join the others.

Gan scratched his belly and yawned as he sat on the floor of the hut they had been in the night before. He looked to his right, his eyes locking with Mora's. He gave her a smile and turned his attention to Dahak. "Najida told us you wouldn't be staying long?" The old man frowned, glancing to the female warrior that stood watch by the door.  
"No, we need to warn the others about what is coming. Though I would like to stop by here on our way back home to learn from your warriors." Gan straightened, pulling his shoulders back. "As much as I would like to stay and learn from you now."  
Dahak dipped his head, a sly grin on his face. "Well, while that saddens me to hear, I do understand. But, Jayr and I have talked it over. We do have a warrior that could accompany you and help train you while you travel, I think it would do them some good to see the world as well."  
"Oh, I couldn't take any of your warriors." Gan shook his head, worried about having a large group on the road.  
"Then they will tail you." Jayr smiled. "My granddaughter needs to learn this country, exploring each corner of this land."  
Najida seemed to perk up at this, pushing angrily off the wall. "I will _not_ travel with people I do not know."  
Mora glanced back at Najida, grinning at the warrior. "Seems your fate is being decided for you."  
Najida glared at Mora, lifting her lip in a silent snarl. "Actually, I think I will tag along, I can't wait to find out your fate, _Princess_." She bowed to her elders; her eyes narrowed. "If that is your wish, then that is what will happen."  
"Then get your things ready, my child, we will feast tonight and send you all off in the morning." Jayr got up, moving easily across the room.  
Mora watched the old woman, frowning at how swiftly her feet carried her. "Thank you for your hospitality, Shaman."  
Jayr turned, her hands closing around a small box. "It still bothers you that I live?"  
"Not in the slightest, though, you're quite agile for a woman of your age."  
Jayr pulled the box from the shelf and walked back over to Gan and Mora, dipping her head to Najida, effectively telling her she could go. She sat down next to Dahak, her fingers toying with the wood of the box. It was old, but like Jayr, it seemed to hold together well. "We've been talking to the Sheikah, they've been developing technology that might be able to aide us in the battles to come." She pushed the top of the box up, showing them two small pendants. "These were given to us many years ago, like the Sheikah knew you would stop here." She took the oddly shaped things out, they had blue markings that glowed. "The scientists said these would let you know if creatures of the darkness are nearby."  
"Have they been tested?" Mora grabbed Ganondorf's hand when he went to take one of the pendants. "How do we know they work? Why not give one to Najida?"  
Jayr looked up at Mora, frowning at the girl. "We are trying to help in the long run, you should be more receiving-"  
"Well, excuse me," Mora leaned in, her eyes narrowed as she squeezed Gan's hand. "but I'm a little weary of anyone-"  
"Mora." Ganondorf grabbed her hand back, pulling on her. "Weren't you just preaching at Ubo to trust them some? They are only trying to help." Mora turned her glare at Gan, wanting to argue with him. But to do so would be questioning his authority in front of these people. Mora huffed and turned away, angrily crossing her arms. Gan sighed and took the two pendants from Jayr, rolling them around in his large hand. "We can put them on our horses, that way they're still close-"  
"No." Mora looked at Jayr, her interest piqued once again at how quickly the old woman cut Gan off. "They buzz, they don't make noises." She looked to Dahak, watching as he pulled out two long pieces of twine. "Wear them as necklaces."  
Mora and Gan carefully strung the pendants, tying them loosely at the base of their throats. Gan rolled his shoulders but didn't feel any different after putting the pendant on. "We should be able to come back through in a few months, Mora mapped it out before we left, and it should take four to six months if we don't take too many more detours."  
"That should be fine. I sense a power in you, Ganondorf, besides the Triforce of Power. I would like to explore that power with you." Dahak tipped his head, his eyes locking with Gan's. "It is said that your past lives were very strong mentally and physically, able to hold off Demise and his taunts once they ascended the throne."  
Gan dipped his head, his arms crossed across his torso. "I will appreciate all the help I can get, Dahak."  
Mora slowly got up, having to grab Gan's shoulder to steady herself when the world around her spun some. She gripped her head, trying to stay focused as Can stood up, his arm wrapping around her waist. She looked up at him, giving him a smile to let him know she was fine. "Sorry, not sure why I got lightheaded. I haven't eaten yet this morning."  
"Najida can show you where to go for food." Dahak turned away from them as they walked out.  
Gan looked over when they walked out, seeing Najida looking over a small clearing near the hut. He walked over, seeing some warriors trading blows. "Najida, where do we go to get food?" He tossed a glance back to the doorway, seeing Ubo and Biana moving to join them.  
Najida turned her gaze to Gan, her eyes narrowing on Mora. "This way."  
The four quickly followed the prickly warrior, having to apologize as they weaved between bodies of other Zonai. Mora had an easier time weaving through people due to her size, but when she would look back, Gan was struggling to keep up. Though people started realizing he was coming through and parted ways.  
Najida stopped in front of a building and turned to the small group. "Here, this is our market. Rupees won't get you anything, we have no use of it here." She paused and rolled her eyes, tossing them a small pouch. "You can pay me back on the road."  
Gan easily caught the pouch and led his group inside the building, though he stopped once he got in. There were only a few tables with food on them and an elderly person attending each table. Mora squeezed around Gan, going to the nearest table and pointing to a crisp looking apple. The woman smiled and held it out to Mora, shaking her head when Mora tried to hand over one of the small turquoise colored rocks from the pouch Najida gave them.  
Gan came up behind Mora, watching her silently interact with the woman. He jumped some when one of the other women came up, offering him a handful of small fruits. Gan carefully took them, after trying and failing to give the woman some of the contents of the pouch. He carefully bit into one, his eyes going wide when the fuzzy skin hit his tongue first, and then a sweet juice spilled from the fruit. He pushed one of the fruits to Ubo, trying to get her to try it. "This is so good!"  
Biana snatched it, quickly biting into it. A satisfied noise left her as flavor hit her mouth. "Oh, Gan! We have to take some with us!" She looked at the woman and gestured to the fruit, grinning when the woman nodded eagerly and handed some over to the female guard.  
Ubo pointed to the apples, sticking to something she knew she would enjoy. The woman smiled, handing over a few. "I feel bad that they won't take any form of payment." She bowed to the woman before turning back to the group. "Do they have somewhere that we can clean up?"  
Mora shrugged and followed Gan out when he left. She saw Najida waiting outside still, the young woman looked surprised when she caught the full pouch. "They wouldn't take payment. We tried though." Mora took a satisfyingly crunchy bite from her apple, a hand on her hip. "Is there anywhere that we can get cleaned up at?"  
Najida grumbled at the thought of being their tour guide but waved at them to follow her. She stopped, glancing back at them. "Do you want to go grab fresh clothes?"

The group followed Najida, fresh clothing in hand. It was a distance from the place they stayed into the pool they could clean up in. Instead of turning left towards the Spring of Courage, they went straight after the bridge. "I'm glad it isn't hot out." Gan teased as they walked, still munching on fruit.  
Najida shrugged as she led them off the path and down a worn foot path. "You should feel how humid the air gets during the summer here. My hair frizzes horribly."  
Mora narrowed her eyes, wondering what Najida looked like with her hair down. Yesterday and today her dark hair was pulled into multiple tight braids that graced the sides of her head and then into a tight bun at the back of her head. "Thank you for showing us where this is at."  
"No problem. You do stink some, I was going to show you whether you asked or not." Najida smirked back at them as she rounded the path, holding an arm out.  
The four looked, their eyes widening at the sight of the small grassy clearing. There was a small pond in the middle with rocks around the outside edge. Gan let out a sigh and went to a patch of soft looking grass, laying down and looking up at the sky as he took a large bite from the fruit. "Ladies first. Hey, Najida, what do you call this fruit?"  
Najida looked puzzled when Biana tossed her clean clothes near the water and easily removed her dirty clothes, tossing them to the side before submerging herself in the water like Ganondorf wouldn't look over and see her naked. When Ubo and Mora joined the other Gerudo, Najida gave a curious huff. "We call them pears. And you're very well-mannered, most of our male warriors enjoy peeking at the women when they bathe."  
"No offense to Ubo and Biana, but I would only peep on Mora, and since they're here, they'd gouge my eyes out for looking." Gan teased and winked at Najida. "I've learned my lesson once or twice already."  
Mora leaned over a rock near Gan, frowning at him. "You've never peeped before."  
"That you know of, little one." Biana laughed, running her hands through her hair a few times before slipping back under the water.  
"I caught him twice when you all were younger." Ubo rolled her eyes, scoffing at her Prince when he let out a loud laugh. "From what I hear, other guards caught him at least once."  
Mora's cheeks turned pink as she stared at Gan, the longer she stared at him, the darker that shade of pink became. "Pervert!" She splashed him with water before disappearing beneath the water.  
Najida rolled her eyes and shook her head, waggling a finger at Gan before turning away. "I'm heading back to the village; I trust you'll be able to find your way back. The feast will be before sundown, you all are more than welcome to do whatever until then." She paused as she walked the path, glancing back at Gan, smirking. "You can hold your ale, yeah?"  
Gan looked over; his cheek full of the savory pear. He gave her a toothy grin as he swallowed the lump. "Of course, I can!"

The girls bathed quickly so Gan could have his turn, Mora kept her eyes cast down as she used the farthest side to wash their clothes out. "Can we trust you to not torture Mora?" Ubo asked when her and Biana dressed. "We want to go watch the warriors' practice, but I don't like the thought of leaving you two alone."  
"Ubo. I swear to you I won't try anything funny. I have slept in the same tent as Mo for four nights, if I was going to try something, don't you think I would have already?" Gan gave her a look, shaking his head. "Go watch them, then you can show me what you learned when we're back on the road."  
Ubo frowned more, grumbling at Biana when the other female grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the two. Mora looked up when she could only faintly hear Ubo and Biana bickering at each other. "Ubo seems so against us while Biana almost gives us every chance available to be alone."  
Gan had his back to Mora, he stayed quiet while he ran his hands through his now wet hair. He dropped his hands to the water, letting them cause a large splash as he tipped his head back to look up at the sky. "Ubo is very pro Gerudo while Biana just wants to see me happy. Not that Ubo doesn't want to see me happy, but… you know how she is. She named her horse in honor of Nabooru."  
Mora laid their clothes out over the rocks, letting them dry. Her face softened as she watched him sink beneath the surface. She turned and leaned back against the rocks, looking up at the sky. "She loves her people, Gan."  
Gan leaned against the rock when he came back up, touching the side of Mora's face as he watched her relax. "I do too."  
"I never said you didn't, Gan."  
"I feel like some Gerudo think I don't."  
Mora looked over, her heart stopping when she realized just how close his face was to hers. She could feel his breath on her cheeks as they locked eyes. "Well, fuck them."  
"I think I'm good without." He teased, bumping his forehead to hers, closing his eyes. He breathed in deep, smiling when he heard her breathe in deep as well. He pulled away and then pulled himself out of the water.  
Mora gasped and quickly looked away when she saw him getting out. She stared at her hands in her lap, trying to resist the urge to peek. She waited a moment when she could vaguely see him pulling on his clean pants before looking up. She watched him lay down near her, she smiled some when he reached back, grabbing her calf. She started to say something when his grip tightened and he easily pulled her down, pulling her against his wet torso. "Ganondorf!"  
Gan laughed and rolled over, covering her body with his own. Water dripped from his hair and torso as he hovered over her, smirking at how flustered she got. "You're much too fun, none of the Gerudo act the way you do."  
"Y-Yeah. Probably because-" Her throat tightened as she locked eyes with him, she couldn't look away from his eyes, no matter how hard she urged herself to.  
"Probably because what?"  
Silence hung between them for several long moments, Mora's stomach tightened into knots while Gan's heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to hear her admit her feelings for him again. Everyone knew how they felt about each other, but to hear it come from her lips…  
"Because." She teased him; easily slipping out from under him. "Come on, before Ubo comes back thinking I've drowned you for being a pervert."  
Gan stayed where he was, his eyes on Mora's back as she gathered up the damp clothes. He didn't know what urged him as he got up, but he grabbed her, pulling her against him. He squeezed her when she tightened up. "Mo."  
"You say it. You always want me to say how I feel, but I don't think I remember ever hearing you tell me how you feel." She glared up at him, her hand firm against his strong chest.  
Gan's brows went up and he smirked as he leaned in, going to kiss her. He growled when he got a hand to the face, keeping him back. "Mora-"  
"Words, Gan. You can kiss any girl, any time."  
Ganondorf stared at Mora, keeping his eyes lidded as he loosened his grip on her. "You make me stupid; you know that?"  
"Oh?"  
He gripped the hand on his face, kissing her palm repeatedly. He pulled back, rubbing her hand with his thumb. He shivered when a breeze broke through, blowing some strands of hair into Mora's face and tugged at the loose legs of his pants. He intertwined his fingers with hers and twirled her around, pulling her into a silly twirling dance as the breeze caused the grass and plants to dance with them. "I don't know how to put it into words, Mo. I like you, a lot. I don't want to let you go, ever. I want to protect you from ever getting hurt-"  
"I love you too, Gan." Mora slid her hand up to his shoulder, letting him lead him through a few steps.

Biana looked up when Mora and Ganondorf joined her at the side of the clearing near the village, smiling at them. "So good of you to join us. Ubo has held her own pretty well." She tipped her head to the training area where Ubo was using a blunted spear against a warrior wielding a short sword.  
Gan licked his lips, eyeing the parry. "How does someone get in on this?"  
"Easy, you just go down there." Najida looked over at them from where she leaned against a railing. "All the warriors want to try their hand against the big strong Prince." She smirked, seeing the eagerness light Gan's eyes.

Gan rolled his shoulders as he held a large sword in one hand, most of the warriors eyed him cautiously. Najida glanced to the three that traveled with the prince, a brow raised. "He does know that's a two-handed sword, right?"  
"He knows." Mora crossed her arms, giving a toothy grin. "Most one-handed blades are too small and don't match his fighting style. That warrior is lucky you guys don't have a trident; you should see him swing one of those puppies around."  
"Does it make your loins shake, Princess?" Najida barked out a laugh when Mora's cheeks turned bright red. "I'm kidding, we have no use for tridents around here, I'm surprised you can find a use for them out in the desert."  
"It's not that they're useful in the desert. When you have multiple enemies against you and you can catch two spears in the prongs of a trident, you get the upper hand. At least, Gan does. He wins easy in practice against the guards back home when he uses his trident, though he doesn't use it often as the only other people to use it are the Zora from what I hear." Mora rubbed her cheeks, trying to get rid of the redness.  
Najida let out a small noise at the information, clearly not having known that. "Too bad he didn't bring it; it would have been fun to learn how to counter one."  
Gan and the warrior in the dirt ring started to bow when a loud horn was blown, signaling it was time for the feast. Gan let out a groan and looked back at Mora, giving her a pouty lip. Mora gave him a shrug and turned around, seeing Dahak had blown the horn. "Maybe when you return, we can have a small tournament in your name, Prince. But for now, we feast for your successful journey!"  
The warriors let out a booming whooping noise, turning to the small group and waiting. "They're waiting for you to go get food first, you're the guests after all." Najida whispered to Mora, waving them ahead.  
Gan joined his group quickly after handing his sword off to a warrior when offered. He led the way to the tables that were all bumped together, gathered from various homes and shops. He let his guards and Mora go ahead of him to collect food, licking his lips at the smell of roasted boar.

Dahak had said a few words before everyone dug in, smiling at his people and their guests. Gan looked down into the horn of murky liquid, glancing up at Najida who sat across from him. The female warrior was already on her third horn of it. Gan swallowed the lump of food in his throat, he could smell the alcohol wafting from the liquid. It was sharp and angry. He threw a glance at Mora, smiling when she took a sip of her own, coughing when it burned the back of her throat. He took a gulp, wincing through the burn. It was stronger than the stuff back home.  
Biana poured herself another glass, gulping it down with more ease as she shoveled delicious food into her belly. Ubo was another monster, Gan had lost count on how many glasses the younger Gerudo guard had gone through, but she loved her booze. "C'mon, Ganon! Your throat becomes numb after a few drinks!" Najida laughed, already filling her horn again.

Mora stared at her half empty plate, she had only had two cups of whatever was in that hollowed boars' tusk, but her head was spinning like she had ten glasses of the ale from home. She slowly lifted her head, giggling when Najida and Gan cleared space on the table. They positioned themselves to arm wrestle, Najida rolled her shoulders, squaring up to the large prince. Mora stared at the thick bicep next to her, licking her lips. She just wanted to chomp right into it.  
"You wanna do what now?" Gan tipped his head, not hearing the tiny female next to him very well over the jeering that was going on around them as he grasped Najida's hand, getting ready to arm wrestle the warrior.  
Biana was in the middle of her own wrestle with another warrior, the ale giving her strength as she slammed the warriors hand down on the table. Ubo roared at Biana's victory, clanking horns with her friend and taking a large gulp. Mora blinked and suddenly Najida was bouncing up and roaring in victory. Mora had wrapped her arms around Gan's free arm, her lips locked on the strong muscle of his bicep.  
"I demand a rematch! I have a-" Gan hiccupped, pointing to the tiny person attached to his arm. "distraction!"  
Najida barked laughter once more, happily rejoining Gan in another match.  
Mora blinked and the sky was turning dark blue with streaks of pink as the sun sank down more, Gan was arm wrestling with another warrior. She flinched when Gan roared in his victory, easily pinning the warriors' hand to the table. Someone was playing some kind of drum, making her want to dance.  
She gasped when Gan stood, sweeping her up against him. He pulled her into a sloppy dance, her drunken legs wobbled as she laughed and twirled for him when he asked her to with his leads. She closed her eyes, letting him guide her around the small space that was cleared for them.

She opened her eyes and she was on her hands and knees, heaving up the once delicious dinner. She heard Biana cooing drunkenly to her while Gan was frantically apologizing for spinning her too much, she had spun once though. Gan's words slurred as he hovered over the two.

Gan stumbled as he carried Mora along the path, drunk laughter leaving him. The sky was dark when he paused once more, blinking in his drunken stupor as he looked around. "This path." He whispered, taking a path to his right. He blinked, freezing a moment later when he was staring down at the clear water. Another blink and he was fumbling with the ties on Mora's top.  
He stopped, frowning at the giggling mess in front of him. Why was he? Oh, right. She was covered in vomit. She couldn't handle the Zonai's booze. Though, he couldn't either. He laughed when she latched onto his arm, clinging to him as he helped her out of the gross clothes.  
Gan stopped again when he dumped a handful of water onto Mora's head, carefully holding her bare body against his. He rubbed his face, dumping cold water on his burning cheeks when he realized it was him cleaning her up and not Biana or Ubo. Where were his guards anyways?  
"Are you happy to see me or is that a-" hiccup "sand seal in your pocket?"  
The slurred words had him laughing against as he splashed cold water on the squealing female in his grasp. He let out a groan when cold hands cupped his cheeks, pulling him into a sloppy kiss. He could taste the vile on her tongue. He pulled back, holding a handful of water to her lips. "Swish and spit." He covered her mouth when she went to spit the water out. "Out of the pond."  
The two laughed as she swished and spit a few more times. Gan welcomed her sloppy kisses again, squeezing her soft hips when she pressed herself against him.

Mora tangled her fingers into Gan's hair, squeezing her legs around his waist. She shivered against him as the breeze caressed her wet skin. She no longer felt like her stomach was trying to destroy her, she felt so safe with his arms wrapped around her.  
The rock scraped her back when Gan pinned her between his body and the hard place.  
Mora giggled when his lips explored the area of her neck and shoulders, nipping at the soft spot just beneath her ear. She let out a small whine, tipping her head back so he could have the whole of her throat. His tongue was hot against her near frozen skin.  
Gan pressed himself against her, the water was cold enough to make him shiver as he scooped her up, pulling the two of them out of the water. He covered her small frame with his larger one. He kissed her skin, enjoying the sweet taste of her. She tasted like the sweet fruits he had earlier. What were they? Pears. Right. He liked pears.  
Gan loved how Mora looked when he drank her in, her arms stretched over her head as she squirmed beneath him, the look on her face made his heart skip a beat. He watched as her fingers dug into the dirt beneath her. He tangled himself up in her, pressing his nose against her neck. He heard his name on her lips as he pinned her with his body, her fingers immediately tangled into his hair again, holding him where he was.

Mora went to move, but a sharp pain in her head and the soreness in her hips told her to not move an inch. She weakly pulled the covers up and over her head, whimpering when she heard loud noises around her. The covers were pulled back and Ubo was in her face. "Good morning, sunshine. Drink this, it'll help with the hangover."  
Mora blindly fumbled for whatever Ubo told her to drink, flinching when the guard hissed at her. She opened her eyes like she was told, she saw the cup of dark liquid, but it wasn't murky like the alcohol. She glared at the being behind Ubo who was energetic. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up."  
Gan flinched, staring at the angry female still in bed. "Come on, this stuff is great." He chugged down his glass, it was his fourth. He turned to Najida, grinning. "Do you have more?"  
Najida snarled at Gan, her arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe. "No, I'm not giving you anymore coffee. Mora is going to need it on the ride today. Next time you come party with us I'll make sure to cut you off at two."  
"That's all I fucking had." It was Mora's turn to snarl, casting a dirty look to Najida.  
"More like you had five. Gan had almost ten glasses before Dahak cut him off, we don't know how many Ubo and Biana had." Najida corrected. "Come on, you need to get dressed, it's already almost noon."  
"What?" Mora whimpered, gaping at Ubo who only laughed at her.  
"It's strong at first, but you need to drink as much as possible, my headache went away after a few glasses and moving around."  
"My body hurts from my hips to my knees. Too much to move."  
"Your what hurt?" Ubo's brows went up and she cast a look over her shoulder at Gan who dropped the bags he was holding, a nervous laugh leaving him as he quickly gathered what he dropped and scuffled out of the room. "Maybe you danced too much, _right_ Ganondorf?!"  
"Please don't yell." Mora whined, making a gross face when the coffee hit her tongue.


	17. Escort

Duske looked over his shoulder into the room behind him. It had been a month since whatever monster was in that seal got out and they had found the Princess unconscious. He watched the woman in the room change rags on the young Zelda's forehead. The woman looked back at him, smiling. She was the handmaid of the Queen and Princess. And she was his sister. She had light brown hair that was pulled into a loose bun with deep green eyes like his own. "Didn't the Queen ask for you to be at her side today? I will be fine, brother. I promise."  
"I know, June. I just worry about you and the Princess is all." Duske sighed but dipped his head, leaving his sister alone with the sleeping Princess. The young girl hadn't been her bright cheerful self since that day, but everyone was too afraid to question what it meant.  
As he walked down the hall, Duske waved to one of his soldiers, signaling him to go watch over Zelda and June. He made quick work of the halls, easily finding the Queen Zelda and King Cosso sitting in the chamber next to the throne room. Zelda had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep while her long blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail instead of its normal tight bun. Cosso looked the same as usual. Fat and well rested, his graying black hair pulled back into a bun beneath his lopsided crown. His dark eyes narrowed on Duske when the guard came in, the dislike was a mutual feeling.  
"Zelda." Duske gave her a smile while dipping his head, only to turn and tip his head at Cosso. "My king."  
"Thank you for joining me, Captain." Zelda tipped her head, giving him a tired but warm smile. "I received a letter from Eabim, her son has started his journey. She will not be joining him at this time due to unforeseen issues in the desert." She looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "A month has passed since that… _thing_ was released… I should have done this sooner, but I sent word to the other Domains, asking them to come here for a small summit. I would like for you to send some men to the Domains to help escort. Some of your men will go with Link to the Sheikah to escort Impa and another group will go to the Zonai, to ask Dahak if he will join us."  
Duske watched Zelda closely, waiting for her to tell him what more she needed of him. "And if Dahak refuses?"  
"Then leave it be. I will not force the Zonai to do anything." Zelda went to get up when Cosso cleared his throat, the Queen had her eyes trained on Duske, her brilliant blue eyes narrowing. "You shall oversee finding the Gerudo Prince. And _escort_ him and his travel group."  
Duske raised a brow at the way she emphasized escort. He bowed once more, seeing the Queen was getting up. "Would you like an escort somewhere, my Queen?"  
"Actually, some farmers are in Castle Town selling their goods, I would like to get some fruits." Zelda walked to Duske, linking her arm in his.  
"You have servants that can get you fruits." The King got up, waddling after Zelda.  
Zelda let out a small groan and turned to face Cosso. "You don't understand, do you? Sometimes my people need to see my face to know I'm real." She shook her head, leading Duske out of the chamber. She squeezed Duske's arm as he escorted her down the stairs and towards the main entrance. "Duske… I-"  
"It's coming up soon, right?" Zelda looked at Duske, staring at him in surprise. "Her birthday. How old would she have been?"  
"She's sixteen."  
The two traveled in silence for a moment, walking across the bridge as they made their way to Castle Town. Duske placed his hand over Zelda's squeezing her fingers gently. "Is?"  
"Is what?"  
"You said… she's sixteen. As if she were alive."  
Zelda squeezed his arm when she felt his fingers tighten on hers, her heart in her throat. "Sorry… she-"  
"I'm sorry, Zelda…I don't mean to bring it up. I just…"  
Zelda stopped walking halfway over the bridge, her eyes cast down. "One day, Duske… maybe when everything has settled down, I can give you my side of things."  
Duske looked at Zelda, carefully reaching up and wiping a tear away from her cheek. "I'll hold you to that, my Queen."

The group broke through the trees, a large archway loomed at the top of a hill just ahead. Mora whimpered as she shifted on her saddle. No matter what she did, she couldn't get comfortable. It hurt to ride her horse; she just felt so ill. She frowned as she looked at the others, seeing Najida on her own horse, riding next to Ubo in front and talking about fighting styles while Biana brought up the rear. Gan looked over at her, giving her a sympathetic smile. Mora let out a noise as she stopped her horse, climbing down.  
Gan stopped his horse and looked at her, frowning. He watched as she rubbed her legs as she paced around her horse. He looked up and let out a whistle, effectively getting Ubo and Najida's attention. "Mo, are you going to be alright?"  
Biana slid off her horse when she got to Gan and Mora. She carefully grabbed Mora's arm, pulling the girl to a stop. "Talk to us."  
"Someone got what we call sleep drunk." Najida said from her small tawny mare, frowning at Mora. She shrugged at the confused look she received from the girl. "You drank too much, some might still be in your system. Plenty of water and coffee will help with that."  
"I'm fine, I just need to stretch my legs. I think I'm still queasy, and it doesn't help that I'm sore." Mora brushed Biana's hand away. She started to do a few stretches when Najida jumped down and pointed to the ground.  
"Lay down then."  
Mora gave a puzzled look but did as she was told, all but screeching when the warrior grabbed her foot and forced it up. "Wh-what the hell?!" Mora struggled, but it was no use, Najida was keeping her leg straight and putting her weight against the limb to stretch the back of Mora's leg.  
Najida smirked at Mora as she switched legs on the girl, stretching her other leg, noting the pink that dusted her cheeks now. "Do you need to stretch your legs more or do you think you can make it to the stables?"  
"N-no… I can make it to the stables." Mora rolled over and slowly teetered to her horse, going to pull herself up when Gan came up behind her.  
Gan carefully grabbed her waist, pushing her up so she didn't have to use her sore muscles. His lips grazed her ear, whispering softly to her. "We need to talk later." He made sure she was situated before climbing on to his own horse. He gave Biana a look when he saw his guard giving him a playful grin. "Come on, we need to get to the next stable before dark."  
The group took off, all of them craned their necks to see the master masonry that expanded overhead and before them in the form of the great Bridge of Hylia. Najida rode her horse a little closer to the edge to look down at the lake beneath them. "I've never been this far out of the Zonai territory before… this is beautiful…" She took in the large valley that Lake Hylia called home, she mumbled words, unable to form sentences as she frantically pointed towards a small island in the middle of the lake. A large green head poked out from the water's surface, but quickly went back under before the others got to her. "There was a beast! B-Bigger than Gan's horse!"  
Gan urged his horse closer to the edge, frowning at Najida. "What kind of prank was that?" He rolled his eyes and turned away, continuing down the bridge, his eyes on the deep green grass that surrounded them and the water below. He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes for a moment, letting the cool wind caress his tanned cheeks. He let out a soft sigh and relaxed his shoulders. He could stay here forever. He only opened his eyes when he heard someone stop next to him, he looked over and smiled at Mora. "I know you don't feel great… but you wanna have a race?"  
Mora gave him a grin and got herself as comfortable as she could on the saddle. She glanced up at Gan, seeing he was ready. "Three…"  
"Two…" Gan tensed his legs, getting ready to take off.  
"One!" They both shouted as their horses took off.  
Biana watched the two race across the bridge. Mora easily took the lead; her horse didn't have near the same weight Ganondorf's horse had. But Gan's steed had more stamina while Mora had to slow back down once she reached the first fountain. Mora glanced back, laughing at how close and smug Gan looked.

Duske slowed his horse to a slow walk as he came into the outpost. He reached into the little saddle bag, plucking out a rich red apple. "Hey, Boss! Oh! What do you have?" One of his soldiers laughed as he took the horse from Duske when the Captain got down.  
"Apples, like the ones you can pluck from those trees on the hill, Camden." Duske tossed an apple to the young soldier. "Once you've finished there, find Tanner and Cole, I'm taking you three with me to find the Gerudo Prince and his traveling party."

Mora sped by the archway, throwing her arms up in victory as Gan ran by her a moment later. "I'll beat you to the fields!" He called back over his shoulders as he and his horse rounded the bend. Mora let out a gasp and took off again, trying to catch him.  
Najida broke by the archway, hard on Mora's heels. Ubo let out a groan and followed behind as quick as her horse would go. Biana followed a little more slowly, taking in the scenery around her. The path forked off, but she watched as Ubo went down the path that she was already on. She clicked at her horse, lightly tapping her heels against its' belly to get it to go a little faster. Once her horse was at a slower run, Biana saw her group stopped up ahead. She urged her horse a little faster until she came up behind them, her horse slowing down next to Mora.

"Uh… hey, Boss." One guard looked up at the massive horse that loomed over him with a giant of a man on its back. He had seen that man once, earlier in the year. Tanner swallowed the lump that was making it hard to breathe as he slowly backed up, reaching for the slightly larger guard behind him.  
Camden swatted at Tanner, not wanting to get stuck if that horse and rider decided to stomp on the newer guard. "Boss! We don't gotta-"  
"Why aren't you getting the horses ready? I told you it was urgent, didn't I?" Duske growled as he came out of one of the buildings, taking a bite out of another crisp apple. "Tanner! Go get the damn-" He froze, seeing a massive shape out of the corner of his eye, he slowly turned his head, seeing a young Gerudo male staring at them with a smile on his face.  
Ganondorf watched the apple fall from the guards' hand, trying to keep his smile pleasant. "Hi." He nodded to the young guard he almost ran over a moment ago… and nearly pummeled with his horses' hooves when it reared up from the sudden stop. "Sorry to almost take you out."  
Mora slowly inched her horse forward, peaking around Gan and his horse to see the guards. The older one of the two in front of them gave her an awkward smile, tipping his helmet to her. "We take y'all are the Gerudo Prince… and party?" Camden rubbed his hands together, trying to stop the clamminess. "Uhm… I'm Camden… this is… this is uh… Tanner… and that's our Captain, Captain Duske." He glanced over, seeing another guard come out, only to back up against the wall at the sight of the huge horses. And people. "And that's Cole."  
Ganondorf's smile disappeared and he eyed the guardsman closely, his eyes narrowing some. He started to speak when Ubo came up next to him, putting herself and her horse between the guards and Ganondorf. "Sorry to almost run you over, we were excited to see Hyrule. But if you'll excuse us, our Prince has urgent business with the other Domains."  
Duske shoved his little bag of apples into Cole's arms, holding his hands up as he approached. "Prince Ganondorf, yes? I'm sorry to do this, but Queen Zelda has requested that I escort you straight to the castle. We received the letter from Queen Eabim saying you were starting your journey to the other Domains, but we've sent escorts to them to bring them to a small summit." He leaned to the side, looking at Ganondorf around Ubo. "I understand you have urgent business, but-" Movement to the left of Ganondorf caught his attention, when he looked over, his whole being went numb.  
Mora had gotten off her horse and was standing next to Gan's horse, her hand on the large beasts' neck. She shrugged her shoulders some as she tipped her head and gave him a warm smile. Her eyes were bright green, and her hair was a darker brown with sun kissed streaks, but her cheek bones and lips reminded him of a younger Zelda. She spoke words, but Duske didn't hear them. He was suddenly back several years, spending the day with his then Princess Zelda.

"_Duske, you can't be serious!" Zelda laughed, her whole body moved with the laughter, her shoulders shrugging up and she tipped her head, covering her mouth._  
_Duske had his hands on his hips, his chin held high as he gave her a playful glare. "I swear it! I saved that older womans life! And she repays me by hitting me with her basket!" His dark brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail at the base of his head and he had a little scruff dusting his jaw. He finally sat down next to the princess, looking down at the small picnic she had made for him. "You really didn't have to do all of this, Princess."_  
_"But I did, my handsome protector got beat up by a little old lady." Zelda teased him, laughing more when he groaned. "I know I didn't have to, Duske. I wanted to." Her voice was soft as she brushed a few flyaway strands of hair out of her face, looking out over the small pond. She looked to him, her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "You held up your end of the deal, so I held up mine."_  
_"You know I would do anything for you, Princess." Duske leaned back on his hands, unable to take his eyes off Zelda. He was her personal guard, had been since he turned fourteen. He was seventeen now, she was sixteen, being groomed to take over the throne one day. He leaned over, carefully brushing a strand of hair away from her face that she had missed. "Why this pond?"_  
_Zelda jumped up, grabbing Duske's hand and pulling him up with her. "Why not this pond!? I'm free here, Duske." She clasped her hands on his; squeezing it to her chest. "No one can tell me what to do, how to act! How to breathe!" She stepped away, twirling around with the small petals and the wind._  
_Duske moved to her, grabbing her carefully and leading her through a few steps of their silent dance. They moved like that, Duske leading his Princess through a simple dance while Zelda leaned into her guard, looking up into his deep green eyes. Zelda flinched and rubbed her nose, something wet and cold hit her. She looked up, a gasp of laughter leaving her as she made a run for the trees nearby as rain came crashing down._  
_Duske ran after her, hiding with her under the trees. The two stood huddled, watching their picnic get wet. He looked over; glad he tied their horses up to the trees. "Awe, man… my honied apple…"_

Duske shook his head, having to blink the memory away. "I'm sorry… can you repeat what you said?"  
Mora let out a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thank you, but why is the Queen having a summit?"  
"I'm… afraid she didn't inform me." Duske tried to pull his attention off Mora, but he couldn't. There were more senior guards than himself at the castle. Would they have the same reaction to her? He snapped his fingers, grinning at them. "There's an inn close to the castle, you all can stay there until the others arrive, it'll be a week or so. I'll bring the Queen down and she can talk to you all one on one and-"  
Gan let out a laugh, clapping a hand onto his thigh. "Captain, you can relax. We'll go with you and see the Queen. We should probably make sure everything is in order before we bombard the other Domains with dark news." He got down from his horse, easily helping Mora back onto her mare before going to Duske and holding his hand out. "Thank you, Captain Duske. And if the Queen would like, I can make an appearance this evening when we all get settled."  
Duske shook Gan's hand, unable to help himself as he looked over at Mora once again before turning to his small group of men. "Boys, get the horses, we're going to Castle Town."

The group rode along the cobblestone paths and out of the Outpost, Mora craned her neck to see up the high stone walls before them. "Captain Duske, what's up there?"  
Duske looked back at Mora, a small smile turning the corners of his mouth up. "Up there is the Temple of Time. Believe it or not, the Castle used to be located up there until centuries ago the Royal Family relocated down here. Hyrule blossomed even more with so much room to grow." He slowed his horse, dropping down next to Mora and Gan. "How old are you now?"  
"Gan is sixteen, I'll be fifteen in the fall." Mora watched Duske closely, seeing how he studied her as if he knew her. "I was adopted by the Gerudo. Nikesa is her name."  
"Oh." Duske nodded, giving an awkward smile. He wasn't sure how to interact with the two next to him. "We should be there soon, before the sun goes down completely."  
Mora focused on a stone stairway that led up into the area above them, torches carefully lit the path. She wanted to go explore, but she knew she couldn't as she followed her group.

It wasn't long before they came up on an old temple where there was a group of people working on a large structure. Najida was the first to breathe as she looked to Tanner, grinning at him. "Those are the Sheikah right? What are they doing?" She leaned towards the young soldier, nearly jumping out of her skin when Mora let out a screech.  
Mora screamed and started to kick her horse into gear when Duske reached over, grabbing tight to the reigns, keeping her where she was as a large machine with spider like legs came up to them. It had a bright blue eye-like thing that stared down at Mora, a loud whirring and beeping noise coming from the machine before the top spun around and it went back towards the trees.  
Gan had his sword out, ready to attack it along with Biana and Ubo. He looked to Duske, his jaw gaping open. "What the hell was that?!"  
"That… Prince Ganondorf… was a Guardian." Duske sighed, giving him a soft look. "The Sheikah built it to help lower the stress on guards, they scare the hell out of my men and myself. The Sheikah want some in the castle, but the Queen refuses, they scare the hell out of her too."  
Mora had reached over, clinging to Duske as if her life depended on it. Her heart was racing as she slowly let go, patting his arm as if to silently thank him. She straightened her shirt and started off again. "I didn't see it… and it's insanely quiet."  
**Guardians… I think I like them.**  
"I bet you do." Mora hissed quietly to herself, her fingers tightening on the reigns. She could see Gan looking at her from the corner of her eye, but she shook her head, letting him know now was not the time to question her.

Duske led the larger group through the main gates of Castle Town, sitting up a little straighter when he passed by his fellow guards at the entrance. He glanced back, seeing Mora right behind him with Gan right behind her followed by Ubo and Biana and then Najida. He led them through town, smiling at the awe on their faces as the castle loomed over them. "Beautiful, right?"

Gan stared up at the castle, each spire had a different topper, but the main one had the Royal Family's insignia on it, the Triforce with wings on either side. The tops of the buildings in Castle Town were bright blue like the flags that flew around them. People stopped what they were doing and stared at his group, mostly him. He glanced back at Ubo, the grin on his face faltering some when he saw the worried look in her eyes. Every Gerudo knew the legend. He wouldn't be the King that destroyed his people. He gave her a smile to let her know everything was alright. When she smiled back, he turned back around in his saddle.  
The group came up on a small inn just off to the right of the path that led up to the castle. Duske waved them inside and went to the woman in charge, getting them their own rooms for a single rupee. The Captain seemed eager almost to go inform the Queen that they had arrived, but the sun was getting lower, and his eyes were growing heavy. He let out a small laugh when the woman let Ubo check the rooms and every little nook to make sure Gan would be safe for the night. When she was satisfied, she went to Biana's room, probably to set up a game plan for how watch would go now that they were in an inn.  
Mora and Najida were sitting at one of the tables in the common room. Najida was sipping at a drink while watching Mora fiddle with the band that Teaka had given them. Gan sighed and went and sat next to Mora, resting his hand on her leg, giving her a soft squeeze. "Najida… did anything… happen when you found-"  
"Bless your heart, no. Nothing happened." Najida took a long swig of her glass, carefully setting it down, instead of the slam she had originally planned. "I found you both asleep, snoring your asses off. I didn't think Mora could look so cute."  
"Wait. What? What are we talking about?" Mora finally looked up; her eyes wide.  
"Last night, I took you to get cleaned up and… I don't remember much past getting you in the water." Gan hid his face in his hands with a groan, his ears turning red with embarrassment.  
"And I just happened to find you guys when you had gotten out and decided to take a nap." Najida teased, giving Gan a playful push from across the table. "Loosen up, Princey. So, what if something had happened? You're both young. It happens."


	18. When the Truth Hunts You Down

Ganondorf woke up the next morning, groaning as he rolled over. A sigh left him as he looked around, he had to mentally prepare himself to meet the Queen and King. He needed to talk to them alone, somehow convince them to keep Mora safe. He sat up, letting his feet hit the floor. He hid his face in his hands, jumping a little when his door slowly creaked open. "I'm up."  
"I was just checking on you." Mora stepped in, pressing her back to the door as she closed it. "Are you ready for today?"  
"No. Not at all." Gan looked up at Mora, trying to give her a warm smile. He relaxed when she sat on the bed behind him. She started to carefully tug on his hair, tying small braids into the long red locks. Gan struggled to hide his yawn. "You're going to put me back to sleep." He teased, grunting when she gave a cruel tug on his hair. "I'm kidding."  
When Mora finished braiding his hair she got up, putting herself between his knees. "Time to get ready, my Prince." She leaned in, kissing his forehead softly.  
Gan watched Mora leave before he started trying to put his small headdress onto his head. The large red gem that should rest on his forehead kept slipping down over his eyes. He started to pull it from his hair when Biana came in. "Is everything alright, Prince?"  
"I can't get this stupid thing in." Gan grumbled, relaxing some when Biana came over and started to wrap his hair around the small chains that held the headdress in. "You can get it in with such ease."  
Biana laughed as she made sure the gem was in the correct spot. "I do it all the time for your mother. You should see her try to get hers in."  
"You used to be a personal guard for her, didn't you?"  
"I was."  
"Why aren't you anymore?"  
Biana's fingers paused and she sighed softly, her hands falling to Gan's shoulders. "I fell in love. I left your mothers side to travel Hyrule and caused a little trouble. It was foolish, I'm lucky your mother took me back in at all."  
Gan was silent for a moment, he wanted to turn to see Biana, to see her eyes. He wondered if they looked as sad as her voice sounded. But before he could say anything, Biana spoke again. "Today you will see things and meet people. Don't be soft around them; you need them to understand that you will be King soon. Not a boy with a cursed prophecy."  
When she finished with his small headdress, Gan turned to her, frowning at her. "Biana… when we talked before we left, you said you had never been out of the-"  
"I needed to come on this journey, Ganondorf. If you named me as one of your guard your mother wouldn't be able to argue it."  
"Why would she?"  
"What do you know of the Princess, Gan? Did your mother tell you stories?"  
"Princess Zelda?"  
"No, of the Princess the Queen lost."  
"Not really?"  
Biana rubbed her face, unsure of how to word her thoughts. She started to speak when the two heard a loud crashing noise that had them up and out of Gan's room and into the common room as fast as they could get there.  
Mora was frozen in place as a woman cupped her face, a broken plate and glass between them. "I can't believe it…" The woman looked over at a Gan and Biana, her jaw dropping in awe. "Biana!?"  
Mora turned a cold gaze to Biana, her lip lifting in a silent curse. "Biana… do you care to explain what this is about?"

Mora slipped from Gan's room, breathing in deep when a sweet scent hit her nose. The trail led her to a table at the far end of the room where a girl was setting out pastries and juices. "Good morning! That smells amazing!"  
"Take as much as you like!" The girl turned, smiling at Mora. When her eyes landed on the other Hylian, she nearly dropped the plate of pastries she was holding, her smile faltering. "As many as you like, miss."  
Mora gave the girl a confused look before nodding and grabbing a plate and filling it with a few treats as well as a glass of juice. A quick sip told her it was apple juice. She smiled and turned, spotting Najida; up and already snacking on some of the delicious pastries.  
Najida looked away from Mora when the door to the inn opened, a woman with a hood pulled up and over her head walked in. She was a slender thing with soft green eyes and dark brown hair. The woman had barely taken in the room when she spotted Mora, she gasped and rushed Mora, grabbing her face. "Brother wasn't lying at all…"  
Mora wanted to look down at the broken plate and scattered pastries and apple juice at her feet, but the woman had a good hold on her face. "Who… in the hell are you?" Her eyes flicked to her left, seeing Gan and Biana surge out of his room.  
"I can't believe it…" Her eyes searched Mora's, trying to understand something when she turned her attention to Gan and Biana. "Biana!?"  
Mora's gaze went cold as she looked at Biana, this woman knew the guard? "Biana… do you care to explain what this is about?"

Najida looked between the group, excitedly munching on her pastries. Her amber eyes were bright with satisfaction at the sight of how annoyed Mora looks. "There's no denying the resemblance you share with the Queen and Princess. You have the same nose and cheekbones-" The woman leaned in, excitement making her voice pitch.  
"You still haven't told me who you are." Mora hissed as she leaned back from the woman who was leaning across the table towards her. The woman kept commenting on how similar she looked to the Queen but there was no proof.  
"My name is June, I'm Captain Duske's sister. The Queen's handmaid." June glanced to Biana, smiling more.  
"Should you all be discussing what you're about to discuss out here? So freely?" Ubo was buckling the last bit of her armor on her shoulders as she walked out of her room, her eyes trained on Biana. "And shouldn't you let the Queen determine what they are to know?"  
"Queen Zelda should actually be here any moment; we didn't think you would be bringing Mora along with you so soon." June leaned back, laughing softly when she saw Mora stiffen. "Besides, Duske was told to pay the other tenants handsomely to have them move inns. It's only us and the staff."  
Biana sighed, unable to look at Ganondorf and Mora who shot daggers at her with their eyes. "If you will let me explain… there are a lot of people involved with this secret, but there are a lot who know nothing of it."

_June walked into the chamber behind Zelda, keeping her eyes cast down as they stood before the small council. Irra, a wise woman from the Sheikah, had asked the young Queen to the council room to tell her of a prophecy she had in a dream the night before. Zelda hadn't been queen long, almost five years at this point. She had lost her mother when she was sixteen to an illness the royal doctor couldn't reverse. _  
_June could see the King standing off to the side, frowning at the two that walked in. June wasn't a fan of his, there was something about him that scared her. It didn't help that Zelda despised the man. Her father had forced her into the marriage on her eighteenth name day, just before she took the crown from him. Zelda had loved her personal guard, still loved her personal guard._  
_Zelda held her chin high as she stood before her council, her brilliant blue eyes defiant as she looked over at her husband. He wasn't an unattractive man; he was slender with hints of muscle beneath his royal clothes. His dark hair was pulled back to the nape of his neck and he had dark eyes that were smiling, until Zelda's personal guard came in and closed the doors. He quickly turned his attention to the far wall. Corro and Duske had a mutual hatred for each other._  
_"My Queen, I had a dream last night." Irra straightened when Zelda's icy gaze turned from Corro to herself. "It is about your first born."_  
_June frowned at how Zelda flinched. If she could, June would bark at the Sheikah woman. She knew just as well as everyone else in this room that Zelda was still recovering from a miscarriage. But it was times like this that made June love her Queen more. Zelda blinked away her shock and relaxed, her hands folded before her. "I'm not with child anymore, Irra. Why are we bringing this up?"_  
_"I'm sorry for your loss, my Queen, truly I am. But… last night wasn't the first time I had this dream. I've had it for days now. I didn't want to say anything, though this dream was persistent." Irra looked down when the Queen gave an annoyed huff._  
_"Get on with it then."_  
_"Conceived from hatred, surrounded by lies. Green eyes release. Green eyes hold. Green eyes shall bear witness to darkness reborn. From her hands death shall come."_  
_"And this is about my first born… how?"_  
_"I kept seeing you and the word 'one' throughout my dream, my Queen."_

"_Oh, June… what do I do?" Zelda sat on the edge of her bed; lack of sleep gave her bags under her eyes. Anxiety had her nails bitten to the quick. The poor Queen was facing a dark world while there were those around her who didn't seem to care._  
_June got on her knees before Zelda, her fingers lightly touching Zelda's knees. "Tell me everything, and I'll do my best to help you, my Queen."_  
_It had been several months since Irra had told them about her dreams. The Queen had missed two cycles three months back, but it was like the Goddesses didn't want to bless her with a child. "He keeps getting angry with me, he… he said that when I have my first babe, we should do Hyrule a favor and- and…"_  
_June's eyes narrowed, Corro was a piece of scum on her boot. She got up slowly and went to the windows, pushing the blinds open and then the doors to the balcony. She went back to Zelda, carefully pulling the Queen up and leading her outside, pointing off into the distance. "Can I try to remind you of happier times, Zelda?"_  
_Zelda leaned into June, nodding slowly against the girls' shoulder. She looked up at what June was trying to show her. Off in the distance was the pond Duske had taken Zelda to just before her mother had become ill. She could see the church that overlooked the water, how the water's reflection made the stain glass sparkle, even at this distance._  
_"I remember you coming back and telling me all about that day, and how my brother pouted at his soggy honied apple." June smiled when she got a small laugh from the Queen. She glanced back into the bedroom, seeing her brother step in, rolling his shoulders. He looked annoyed; he must have run into Corro on the way in._  
_Duske frowned when he saw how small Zelda looked huddled against his sister. He walked over, his hand pressing against her back. "Sister, would you mind going and drawing a warm bath for Zel? Maybe a glass of something to help relax her too."_  
_June watched as Zelda leaned into Duske as she slipped into the sitting room and into the connected bath. It didn't take her long to get everything ready, she added candles to the edge of the tub, wanting to give Zelda a relaxing atmosphere. She returned to the bed chamber, quietly opening the door as to not spook the Queen. Though she froze when she poked her head in, seeing the two swaying in tune with a song only they heard. June smiled softly as she slipped back out, letting them have a moment of peace._

_Zelda's eyes were wide as she pressed her hands against the swollen belly of the Gerudo Queen, smiling at the movement she felt against her palms. "You traveled all this way… and you're how far along?"_  
_"Six months." Eabim let the Hylian Queen touch her belly, her deep green eyes traveled over the other Queen though, examining her. She reached up, touching Zelda's cheeks and then moving her hands down and pressing the heel of her hand against the side of Zelda's breast, a brow raising towards the younger Queen. "How many cycles have you missed?"_  
_June's attention snapped to the two Queens in the sitting room, her eyes wide. Zelda hadn't slept near the King in months. She glanced at the two guards that Eabim had brought with her, seeing if they caught her reaction. Nikesa, a proud and quiet Gerudo, was scanning the room as she admired the artwork of various sceneries that could be seen throughout Hyrule. Her deep red hair was pulled back into a simple bun at the back of her head. June flushed when she saw the other guard watching her with curiosity. Biana was grinning at June, it was said that Biana was the younger sister to Eabim. They certainly looked enough alike for that to be true, but to June most Gerudo looked the same. They all looked like they could snap her in half if they really wanted to._  
_Biana had long red hair that was pulled into a tight braid at the top of her head and swung down against her back. Her eyes were the same deep green shade as Eabim's. June glanced up again at Biana, pursing her lips when the Gerudo guard playfully winked at her before returning her attention to her Queen._  
_"I just recently missed my third cycle."_  
_"You've puffed up like I did. My royal doctor thinks it will be a boy from the strong kicks." Eabim rubbed her belly, smiling softly to herself._  
_"I also kicked hard in mothers' womb. That doctor is old and wants to be the one to-"_  
_Eabim turned a harsh glare towards Biana when she spoke. "Until you are with child, you wouldn't understand what this feeling is. I had a dream of a king before I know I was with child."_  
_Biana dipped her head, letting Eabim know she hadn't meant to offend. Eabim huffed and turned back to Zelda, smiling once more. "Well, may you have a healthy babe, my Queen."_  
_Zelda bowed her head, grinning at Eabim. "Maybe your prince and my princess can be dear friends when they're older."_

_June looked up from her tea, unable to meet Biana's eyes. Zelda and Eabim had decided to go for a walk around the castle gardens, dismissing Nikesa and Biana. Nikesa had asked to walk them as well, mostly for her enjoyment of flowers, but also to keep an eye on her Queen. While Biana had taken the chance to ask June for a cup of tea._  
_Biana watched the girl for a moment as she drank her tea. "What is life like here at the castle?"_  
_"Oh, it's a little boring. Nothing ever happens. Not that I'm complaining."_  
_"You looked surprised when Eabim asked about Zelda's cycles."_  
_June froze, staring at Biana with wide eyes for a moment. "O-Oh… did I?"_  
_"Only a little. Aren't you her handmaid? Wouldn't she tell you she missed her cycles?"_

Mora looked up when the door to the inn opened, Captain Duske was holding the door open as a woman in a blue and white dress stepped in. Her long blond hair was pulled back from her face and into a long braid that went down her back, she had bright blue eyes that pierced through Mora as soon as they locked eyes.  
June jumped up, bowing to Zelda. "Queen Zelda, this is-"  
"You were successful, Biana?" Zelda stayed where she was, almost as if she were frozen in place as she addressed Biana without looking away from Mora.  
Biana stood and dipped her head, frowning. "No, _I_ wasn't. But Nikesa happened to be in the area and took Mora in."  
Mora's neck popped from how quickly she turned her attention to Biana. "Excuse me?"  
Ganondorf slowly stood, blocking Zelda's view of Mora, his eyes narrowed. "Biana, what's going on?"  
Zelda finally walked over, holding a hand out to Ganondorf, giving him a warm smile. Her eyes shimmered with an emotion Gan couldn't get a read on as he took her hand, lightly kissing her knuckles. "Before you get defensive about something you have no knowledge on, just know I would change nothing of what I did."  
Mora's eyes narrowed, turning a glare on Najida who was snickering next to her. "What are you giggling about?"  
Najida slapped Mora on the back, laughing even more. "We told you that you were a princess, but no, you kept saying you weren't!"  
"They keep saying this was all sixteen years ago. I'm _fourteen_." Mora barked, lunging for Najida. She struggled when Gan easily wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her back from the table.  
"Mora, I think we need to listen to them. And then tell them what has happened to us."  
Zelda gave a curious tilt of her head but sat down when Duske pulled up a chair for her. "Sixteen years ago, I gave birth to a baby girl with bright green eyes. I only allowed three people in that room. June, the royal Doctor Hazel, and his wife Loveta. June was preparing to go with Loveta to meet with Biana to hand you off to the Gerudo.  
But when Loveta and June slipped out of the castle and were leaving, some guards that are more loyal to the King spotted them and gave chase. Loveta gets mistaken for all beauty no brawn a lot. They were able to evade them and make it to Loveta's home. June stayed there for six months caring for my daughter. But nothing prepared us for how vigilant the guard would be, they harassed June for nearly two years. We thought we had found a safe place to hide you until we could find the right opportunity to hand you off, but you kept getting sick and were so tiny compared to most other children at your age. I wrote Eabim, asking her for help. I got Biana knocking on the door of the castle. Loveta took Biana to her home, showing her this tiny little bundle. But before Biana could take you to the safety of the Gerudo desert, guards showed up. Luckily, June was there visiting you in my stead and she snuck you out the back, taking you to a small grove where she was to watch over you until the Gerudo met up with her."  
Zelda smoothed out her dress, her eyes closed as she let out a sigh. She glanced at June who looked away, frowning. "When I got there… I was so nervous. I set you down near the waters edge in some bushes and went and hid, I didn't make it far when I saw a Gerudo woman come up and pick you up. I knew she wasn't Biana, but at this point, I trusted the Gerudo more than I trusted most of the royal guard. I stayed where I was while the woman took you to safety, only for Biana to come to me not much longer. When I told her another Gerudo took you, she was gone."  
"Imagine my surprise when I get home and tell my sister what happened and how I failed and how I'm unsure of who has you at this point, only for Nikesa to come climbing up those stairs with a tiny Hylian babe in her arms." Biana chuckled and shook her head, shrugging.  
"My mother… knew about Mora?" Gan's shoulders sagged; his eyes wide with horror.  
"She sure did. And when you came home after… _that_ incident, she was so sure you had somehow connected hidden dots, but you didn't admit anything. I was a little surprised when you told the Zonai everything you did." Biana relaxed into her chair, glancing to a curious Zelda. "Might as well tell her everything."

Zelda tapped her fingers on the table after Ganondorf and Mora finished their tale of the cave, the tomb, and everything in between. She glanced to Mora, her eyes filling with sadness. "So… he's looking for the last part of himself?"  
"Yes." Mora crossed her arms, anger and concern filling her very being. Was she about to age two years and no one care? She had lived this false life, had been lied to by two people she trusted with her life… and no one was going to say anything?  
"Let me just get this clear…" Duske chuckled from behind Zelda, rubbing his face in frustration. "This girl is your first born? A Princess of Hyrule?"  
Zelda slowly turned to her guard Captain. "She is." Zelda slowly stood, folding her hands in front of her as she watched him. "And she is your daughter."  
Mora had to blink away her shock as she looked at the Queen and the Captain. "I'm sorry… so, not only am I a Princess. I'm an illegitimate Princess." The look on her face was smug, she didn't truly have a right to any part of Hyrule.  
"You are my daughter and that is all that matters." Zelda glared at Mora, easily wiping the smug look off the girls' face. She turned to Duske once more, seeing he was still having trouble processing this news.  
"Does… the King know that?"  
"No. And he cannot challenge my word, or he risks losing his spot on the throne, and he doesn't want to lose that." Zelda looked around the room, looking to each person there. "You will all come to the castle later this morning and meet with Corro and I, and you will speak no word of any of this." She turned and left the inn, Duske grumbling after her.  
The Captain stopped at the door, glancing back at Ganondorf and Mora one more time. He started to leave when Zelda poked back in. "And Mora, please, wear something not so… revealing."  
Mora looked down at herself, shrugging when she remembered she was in her Gerudo garb.

Hey all! We're so close to **1000** views, and I want to give you guys a thank you present so I have a poll up on my profile here on if you guys want to go vote on a side chapter that I'll write up in celebration of reaching **1000** views! I also have another gift! I got a commission (by tumblr user CockyBusiness) done of Gan and Mora, I'll be sharing a link with you at the end of the next chapter for you to go see it if you want to. I know some people like to keep their idea of what a character looks like in their head and I don't want to ruin that for you guys if that's how you roll, but the link will be on the next chapter if you want to view it!

If you want to vote in the poll you can find it at the top of my profile here::  
u/12465344/


	19. Giving Chase

Later that morning, Gan led his little group up the path to the castle, his eyes going wide at just how big the castle was. He wore his traditional Voe desert armor while Biana and Ubo wore the traditional armor of the Gerudo. Najida walked on one side of Gan in thick leathers that were lined in dark wolf fur, atop her head was the skull of a wolf, clay beads and feathers dangled from it while thin leather straps connected the top of the skull to the lower jaw that hung down in front of her neck. A dark, dusty paint was striped across her face and various areas on her arms, legs and stomach. "You look like you're about to go to war, Najida." Gan glanced down at her with a brow raised.

"I might be, the Zonai trust you and the Sheikah. I would take on ten packs of wolves before talking to some of these people."

"I'll be happier once we're headed home." Mora sighed from the other side of Gan. Her hair was pulled back into a tight braid that went down her back. She reached up the soft sleeve of the green dress Nikesa and Eabim gave her, touching her bracelet that matched the one that Gan wore. "I can't believe they just let people walk in and not care…"

"I wouldn't care either if I had this many guard walking around." Gan whispered to Mora, noting all the guard that stood around the main hall.

"Ganondorf! Mora!"

Everyone in the room turned and looked when they heard the name that was shouted, all of them staring at Gan. The small group nervously looked over, seeing a very excited June waving at them. Mora glared at everyone that turned to stare, her sharp stare turning to June as they went over to the Queen's handmaid.

"You are a lot earlier than we expected. The Queen asked me to show you around until they're ready for you." June started to show the group through the corridors of the castle, idly chatting their ears off as they walked. "Honestly, Zelda is ready for you, it's the King trying to make you nervous."

Gan rolled his eyes, pausing when Mora stopped to look out a window. Outside was a vast garden, all different kinds of flowers bloomed around a large tree whose branches sagged to the ground. The group, when Gan looked over, had already started to walk away from them. He quietly grabbed Mora's hand, pulling her away from the window.

He looked to the group, seeing that Najida was looking back at them, she rolled her eyes when Gan put a finger over his lips as if asking her to not say anything. He pulled Mora around a corner, the two of them peaking around and watching the group walk away from them, the only one who noticed the two were gone shaking her head as they walked. Gan pulled Mora down the hall to a large wooden door that led out to the garden.

"Gan, we'll get in trouble." Mora laughed as the two trotted over to the large tree in the middle of the garden. Mora reached out, touching the sagging limbs of the tree, her eyes wide. "Gan… it's so soft." She whispered, turning to look at him. Gan walked up to her, plucking a flower from the tree and slipping it into her hair just above her ear.

"Knock, knock."

Mora couldn't help the giggle that left her as Gan started another joke. "Who's there?"

"Aitch."

"Aitch who?"

"Bless you." Gan watched Mora process the joke in her head for half a second before she chuckled and shook her head. He relaxed against her, his head in her lap as he looked up at her.

"That was a cheesy one, Gan." Mora played with the braids that held his headdress in place while they sat under that tree. "We should probably go find the others."

"Well, well. The King of Thieves, so glad to meet you."

Ganondorf and Mora looked over, gawking at the snowy white feathers of the tall Rito standing before them. He had a sharp pointed beak and bright golden eyes that were locked on Gan as the Gerudo Prince sat up. "Prince of the Gerudo. Not yet King."

"Gerudo, thieves. Tom-ae-to, tom-ah-to. Am I right?" The Rito chuckled to himself as he teased Gan, clearly wanting to see a reaction from the Prince.

Gan only smiled and walked over to the Rito, holding his hand out. "A Gerudo is a thief just as a Rito is a cucco."

The Rito gave a tilt of his head, his eyes narrowing as he shook Gan's hand. "Apparently you've never fought a cucco."

Gan lifted his arm, showing the Rito a scar on the back of his bicep. "Cooked him for dinner, actually."

The Rito threw his head back with a laugh that started deep in his belly. "Roasted or baked?"

"Baked."

"Isarth, Ganondorf." Queen Zelda rounded the corner, smiling at them before turning her attention to Mora who was still sitting against the tree. "Mora. Ganondorf. June told me you just up and disappeared on her."

"We've been hiding out here, I didn't want to listen to some tour of the castle." Mora watched the queen through half closed eyes. She turned her attention to Isarth. "Captain Duske said all the others wouldn't be here until later this week."

"Rito tend to fly quicker than Hylian's ride. Who are you?"

Zelda cleared her throat once more, bringing their attention back to her as the young princess walked around her mother, a smaller copy of her mother with their matching blond hair and blue eyes. She walked over to Mora, looking up at the dark-haired girl. Where the queen's eyes were ablaze with life, the princess's eyes were dull, as if there was no life in her bright gaze. Every instinct in Mora's body told her to run, to get away from the young princess. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as they stared at each other. "He isn't happy with you." She reached out, going to touch Mora when Mora lashed out.

Mora held Zelda's wrist, her eyes narrowing. "He can tell me that himself."

"No, he can't, you won't let him in. He scares me."

"Will he let you go… if I let him in again?"

"**She isn't as good of a puppet as you are.**"

Mora let out a shaky breath as she kneeled in front of Princess Zelda, gently cupping the girls face. She knew she needed to preserve herself, but she had been dealing with this darkness for so many months already. The old Queen had helped her with Demise before. Surely Mora could get help one more time. "Fine."

Gan dove, catching Mora as she fell backwards, seeing her eyes rolled back as her body tightened up before she thrashed about. He turned his angry gaze to Princess Zelda, his jaw white from how hard he clenched his teeth. "What just happened?"

Princess Zelda stumbled away from Ganondorf, hiding against her mother when the queen came up to them. "She… she saved me…"

Isarth moved over to them, looking down at Mora as she lay stiff on the ground. "Is she… going to be alright?"

Queen Zelda turned, shouting at some of the guard, telling them to go fetch the Royal Doctor. Two took off and ran into the castle. Zelda looked down at her daughter, stroking her hair. "Sweet daughter, does this have to do with what happened a month ago?"

Ganondorf went eerily still, staring at the Queen with wide eyes. He had told her what happened to them a month ago, but she hadn't said anything about the Princess in turn. He looked down at Mora, then back at the Queen and her youngest daughter, seeing they were now watching him. "Did something happen a month ago here?"

"You know what happened a month ago." Queen Zelda's tone had an edge of warning to it, they had an audience near them that was steadily growing as guard came running with the Royal Doctor and now June with Ganondorf's group.

"Here. What happened here a month ago."

"I will discuss it with everyone at the same time when the Sheikah gets here."

The Royal Doctor had ordered the guards to move Mora into a small room in the west wing, forcing everyone but himself and his wife out of the room. The Royal Doctor was a shorter man with long black and gray hair, he had rounded glasses that sat low on his tanned nose. His wife was a taller woman, Ganondorf could note Gerudo features in her like her sharp nose and the beautifully tanned skin, but she wasn't as tall as a Gerudo female, she was almost a perfect blend of Hylian and Gerudo with her dark auburn hair and dark eyes. Gan paced around outside the door, waiting for the doctor or his wife to come out and say something.

Ten minutes passed.

Fifteen.

"Ganondorf."

Gan came to an abrupt halt when Najida popped up in front of him. Once he stopped moving, he noticed how much his legs hurt from all his pacing. "What?"

"If you don't stop moving, I'll break your legs. Go sit down, the doc will come talk to us when he's ready." Najida snarled at the Prince, urging him to a small sitting room across the hall. She had gotten him halfway across the hall when the door opened, and the doctor's wife came out of the room.

Gan turned, staring at the woman, his body aching when she shook her head at him. "Sorry, young Prince. The doctor should be out soon, don't worry."

Gan seemed to visibly deflate when he was told 'soon'. He plopped down on the soft sofa next to Ubo, his green eyes dulling. "If the princess had some of Demise…"

"You said that you heard Demise's voice come from the Princess, right? That he said Zelda wasn't as good of a puppet?" Now it was Najida's turn to pace as she thought out loud. "So, he needs her for something else. But, here's the issue. When Dahak touched Mora, he only felt a fraction of this evil. She's been functioning just fine with that fraction of evil, but the Princess might have had more." She turned and looked to the door of the room Mora was tucked away in as the doctor came out. "Doctor! I have to touch Mora!"

"That… sounds highly inappropriate." The doctor pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his dark eyes narrowing on the Zonai girl.

Najida felt her face heat up and she quickly looked away. "Th-that's not… I need to see something."

"Before I let you all in there, she's stopped having spasms, but she is restless. She makes noises, but she isn't waking up yet. Don't shake her, don't try to move her." He barked at them, tucking his hands away in the crimson robes he wore. "I'll be in every now and again to check in on her, as will my wife."

The group watched the doctor turn and walk away, rubbing his forehead. Gan was the first in the room, his longer strides carrying him by Najida easily. He carefully sat in the chair next to the bed, his eyes searching her face as she lay there quietly.

"She looks dead."

Gan turned his head, looking back at Najida who stood in the doorway, hugging herself. "Don't say that."

Najida let out a shaky breath as she walked over to Gan's side, the air around her was thick, making it hard for her to breathe. She reached out, it felt like her hand was trying to move through the slimy mud back home. She closed her eyes and pulled her hand back, turning away from Mora. "You don't feel how thick the air is, do you?"

"No… I don't." Gan carefully touched Mora's hand, squeezing her fingers between his. He looked back at Ubo and Biana who stood by the door, seeing their frowns. "Do you feel like the air is thick?"

Ubo glanced to Biana, nodding at the same time as the older guard. "I do. It almost feels like I know I'm about to go into a fight."

"Prince?"

The group turned, seeing the small Princess Zelda standing in the doorway, her eyes going between Ganondorf and Mora. "Princess, is everything alright?" Gan turned to the small girl, waving her over to him.

Zelda walked over, looking down at the girl her mother told her was her sister. "She looks like my mom… but with dark hair. She sleeps like my mom."

"Oh yeah?"

"He made me go to my mom a lot. I woke up a lot and I was in my moms' room…"

Gan watched Zelda for a moment before carefully touching her shoulder. "Zelda, you said that he was angry with Mora; do you know why?"

"He… He's mad at her because she's been ignoring him. And he's mad at me because… I can't help him. I'm too little. He wants her because she can come and go as she pleases. Unlike me."

"Did he ever say where he wanted you to go?"

"The Great Forest."

Gan slowly looked up to his travel companions, seeing the confused looks on their faces. "The Great Forest… that's where the Master Sword is said to be hidden, right?"

"It will all come together there." She turned to Ganondorf; her eyes wide with fear as she grabbed the sash around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

Gan carefully held onto Zelda, pulling her into a tight hug. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Zelda. If anyone can fight off Demise, it's her."

Najida frowned at Ganondorf, she saw the shadows in his eyes. He was afraid, but she didn't think it was for Mora. He was afraid for his own fate, if he was strong enough to fight off the evil fated for himself.

_Mora opened her eyes, slowly lifting her head as she looked up the stairs in front of her. At the top sat a throne, a large man sitting in it. He had dark grayed skin and dark red hair; his eyes burned gold as he examined the jewels that lined his fingers. He turned his attention to Mora, giving her a wicked grin. "Welcome back."_

_Before Mora could say anything, she closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them, she was standing directly in front of the man in the throne. She turned and looked at where she had just been standing, down at the bottom of the stairs. "Saved me some steps." She turned a glare to him, frowning at him. "Am I talking to Demise? Or Rage?"_

_"__Let's make it simple. You're speak to King Ganon." The man rose, his long red hair was pulled back into several beautiful braids that crowed his large forehead, holding a headdress that was like Gan's, in place. Though, this one was much bigger. "So, I am Demise. Rage is a part of me, Malice is a part of me, and Calamity is a part of me. Rage, Malice and Calamity were names given to me by the people that sealed me away in those small chests, locked away in these dark caves of the world."_

_Mora tried to step away from the arm that wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back against Ganon. A bright light flashed around them, and when Mora's eyes adjusted, they were in a room with a white ceiling, floor and matching walls. But there were small windows in the walls showing moving paintings. She walked over to one of the paintings, it was just repeating a few things. It was herself, opening the chest by touching it. She turned to another, watching the Queen Zelda with the dark hair seal Ganon away. Another showed a boy in a green tunic falling while a man who looked like Ganon but with short hair stood over the boy._

_Mora quickly turned to Ganon; her eyes wide. "What is this?"_

_"__Time. This is where I was stuck for thousands of years, watching the Hero of Time fall, and come back and defeat me. Over and over again." Ganon had his arms crossed behind his back, looking around the room. "This is where I was before I was sealed away by your time. What a curse is it to watch some brat defeat you over and over again."_

_Mora blinked and suddenly they were back in the room of her nightmares. The throne was gone, replaced by a chest on a pedestal. She stared at the chest for a moment before looking around. When she turned back to the chest, Ganon was sitting on the throne, and Mora was sitting on the arm of the chair next to him. Mora let out a surprised noise and jumped up, a sharp pain shot up her leg from her ankle, causing her to fall down the stairs. The doors at the base of the stairs stopped her roll, causing her to slam her head against the hand wood._

_"__Now, now, little bird. Do I scare you so much that you feel the need to hurt yourself? That you should…_**_ run_**_ from me?" Ganon slowly gripped the arms of throne as he stood. As he got up, his skin darkened and bubbled and cracked, stretching over his body as he grew larger. His hair and beard grew, his jaw elongated and snapped as it started to form into something else. His skin turned to malice, slowly dripping from his body. "Your sister feared me far more than you seem to."_

_Soon, the man, now turned beast, was on all fours looking down at Mora as the girl stared up at him, fear locking her in place. "While I entertained the sweet princess, I learned something about the name Zelda. It's a protection seal, given to the Princess and Queen so the blood of the Goddess cannot be tainted. Cannot be controlled." The beast let out a roar of laughter as more limbs grew from his body. "But you… you don't have that protection."_

_Those last few words had Mora up and pulling as hard as she could on the doors until they opened for her. Adrenaline pumped through her, allowing her the bliss to ignore the pain in her ankle that caused her to limp. The next room lacked the monsters from her last visit, but it still had the doors on the other end of the room. Mora let out a cry when the doors behind her flew open, debris flying into the room as the large beast burst in after her._

_Mora rolled over, looking up at the beast that dwarfed her. She slowly crawled backwards, trying to get away from the monstrosity as malice drooled from its' mouth. It pulled its' had back as it got ready to strike. "_**_I can't wait to break you, little bird._**_" The beast struck, covering Mora in malice._

_Mora jolted; her eyes looked on the doors down below her. Still closed, still intact. She slowly turned, seeing Ganon smirking at her from his spot on the throne. She took a step away from him when he got up, his body slowly changing into the monster once again. "_**_Run._**_"_

Several days had passed since the incident with Mora, and now all the leaders of the surrounding domains stood in the ceremonial room with Queen Zelda sitting next to the King. Princess Zelda sat one tier down from her parents. Gan looked out, seeing the people of Hyrule's castle town standing in the audience seats. He turned his attention back to the King when he heard the old man whisper. "My love, do you really think we should talk about this in front of the town's people?"

"This is their fate too. They deserve to understand." Zelda stood, nodding to each leader as she walked forward a few steps, her hands clasped in front of her. "Thank you to all the domains for coming here on this day. We have dark news to tell you. One thousand years ago…"

_Mora screamed as she ran, her leg throbbed in pain, her ankle buckled, and she fell; rolling through the hall. She did her best to get up and run again, but each time she got up, she only fell to her knees again. She tensed, the monster swallowing her hole once more._

_The Hylian girl didn't pause once the stairs were beneath her feet, she just ran down the stairs. Awkwardly taking them two at a time as she limped. The beast roared behind her, never tiring of his new game of this hellish catch and release._

"… this evil has come back to us. A month ago, my daughters were possessed by this evil and forced to release two parts of it. There is a third, we are looking for it, but have no idea where it might be." Zelda looked out over her people before glancing at the leaders of the other domains. "We will need help in this fight, I ask you other domains to help us. Do not send us all your warriors, you will need to keep safe yourself. I do not know when it will appear…"

_A malice covered hand smacked at Mora, landing a crude hit. The girl slammed into the wall nearby, her body was broken in ways she never knew possible. She looked up at the beast, tears in her eyes. "Why?"_

_The beast didn't answer her, just lashed out. Mora ran down the stairs again, she had to get away. Had to. She had almost made it last time. If she could just get out of the temple, she would be free._

"The Sheikah have already started working on devices to help us win this battle. Link has been looking for the Master Sword, we're hoping he will have it soon."

"The Rito will be by your side, my Queen." A female Rito stepped forward, bowing her golden feathered head to the Queen Zelda.

"As are the Goron!" The chief Goron slammed his first against his large chest, letting out a huff. "Don't you worry about nothing!"

A small Zora stepped up; her smooth scales were a deep silver. Her tail hung from the back of her head all the way to the ground as she bowed deeply in front of Zelda. "The Zora are yours."

Najida took half a step forward from her spot next to Ganondorf, her amber eyes narrowing. "I mean no offense, Zelda. But the Zonai will be staying in the Faron Wilds. We will help the Gerudo as they need us." She watched as the King flinched, glaring down at her from his throne.

Zelda dipped her head, giving Najida a warm smile. "Thank you. I would expect no less from the protectors of the Spring of Courage."

Ganondorf stared up at Zelda who met his eyes. Her blue eyes seemed to plead with his brilliant green hues. He clenched his jaw, wishing Mora were well enough to stand next to him. He couldn't swear that his people would be here to help. He had an entire desert to patrol. He had the last true home of that evil to watch. "Queen Zelda,"

_Mora broke from the temple, a joyous cry ringing from her as she happily stumbled from the temple and down the stairs into the hot sand. She welcomed the burning sensation against her knees and palms. She rolled over, seeing the monster at the mouth of the temple, a smirk on her lips._

"I will return often with a small troop to help check in. But my people come first." Ganondorf took in a deep breath, forcing himself to relax as he spoke. "We will come help when called upon…"

_The smirk faded from Mora's lips when the beast took a step out of the temple, a gleam in its' eyes as it watched her. "_**_Did you really think it would be so easy?_**_"_

"I understand, Prince Ganondorf. Thank you." Zelda smiled down at Ganondorf, pleased with his answer.

"You are so engulfed with your own people… that you won't help the rest of the world?"

Zelda turned to her husband when he spoke, her eyes narrowing. "Corro."

"How do we know you have not been taken already by this evil?" Corro got up, moving up next to the Queen.

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes, tilting his head so his brow shadowed his eyes. "King Corro, you would know if I was taken over by the evil."

_Mora was running again, the walls of the temple blocking her in from freedom. She closed her eyes as she ran, wishing she had a bow. Something. Anything to help fight back. When she opened her eyes though, she saw a bow in her hands. A smile spread on her lips as she turned on her heels and aimed at the monster. "It won't be easy. And I don't care! But I'll fight you. And I'll keep fighting. Because I know one thing. I will _**_never_**_ let you get your hands on him!" As Mora shouted, a light formed in her hand before turning into an arrow._


	20. 1,000 Celebrations

_1,000 Celebrations_

_Hey guys! This chapter isn't apart of the Legends Are Made fanfic, it's just my little way of saying thanks! I never thought I would reach 1,000+ views on a story, but you all helped me get there! Thank you! I hope you stick with me through the rest of the story!_

Ganondorf laced his fingers and stretched his arms out, effectively cracking his knuckles and popping his shoulders. He smirked down at the petite girl next to him, seeing the determination in Mora's green eyes as she studied the course ahead of them. All week Gan had been saying he could beat her in a race, now the whole town was in on bets of who would win. Ganondorf? Or Mora? Some of the women voted for Ganondorf, mostly because he was the male Gerudo and believed nothing could beat him, and that his sand-seal was the fastest out there. Others voted for Mora, she was smaller than their prince, allowing her seal quick movement through the sand.

Imo stood between them at the top of the hill, a red silk flag in her hand. "Now, you know the rules! No hitting each other out there! Teaka has a special treat for the winner." She raised the flag, watching her two favorites tense and ready themselves. "Let the fun…" she smiled as she threw the flag down. "Begin!"

The two took off, their seals barking as they raced through the sands. Mora took the lead first, her seal easily pulling her behind it. They swept up into ancient bones, Mora reached out, her fingers lightly hitting each bone she passed, a wicked grin on her lips as she glanced back. Ganondorf was falling behind her as they went.

Ganondorf stayed on the low end of the dune that swept through the old bones, his eyes narrowed on Mora. She was getting confident; he hadn't even asked his seal to ride hard yet. But as the two raced out of the bones of whatever monster this had been, Gan let out a loud whistle and his seal dove hard into the sand, easily catching up to and passing Mora. "I'll be waiting for my victory kiss at the end!"

Mora's face was red as she watched Gan pass by her with ease. "Dammit, Gan!" She looked back ahead, seeing rocks up ahead. She could bob and weave through those easier than he could. His seal, like himself, was a big beast; it would _have_ to slow down in order to make it through the rocks safely. She smirked as she began to gain on Ganondorf once more.

Gan shifted his hips, dodging around a rock that stuck out of the sand easily while his seal avoided the ones just ahead. There was a slope down coming up, he'd have to take full advantage of it so he and his seal could quickly climb the hill to the finish line. He growled when he didn't shift his hips right and nearly ran into a boulder. He reached out, pushing himself away before the shield he rode hit it.

Mora zipped by Ganondorf, a laugh on her lips as she wiggled easily between rocks and down the slope, she could hear Gan cursing behind her before he let out another loud whistle and his sand seal dove down into the sand.

The two were neck and neck as they sped down the hill, their eyes locked on the red flags at the top of the next hill that signaled their finish line. It didn't matter whose seal crossed first, it was up to their shield to cross first.

Ubo and Talo watched the finish line from where they lay, waiting to see whose shield crossed the line first. The seals ripped through the sand, neck and neck. And then the shields crossed. Talo jumped up, her eyes wide as she looked across to Ubo, hoping the older guard got a better view. Ubo lay still on the warm sand, her eyes narrowed. She slowly stood; her arms crossed under her chest as she turned to Eabim who stood in front of the two racers.

Eabim watched the guard, smiling as she reached out, grabbing Mora and Gan's wrists. She waited for a moment, loving how much suspense was in the air. She lifted both arms, grinning at the two. "It was a tie!"

"A tie?" Gan's jaw dropped as he stared in awe. "You can't be serious! I totally pulled ahead at the last second!"

"I have been the official finish line watcher since I was a wee lass, Gan. Do you doubt me?" Ubo frowned at her prince, glaring at him.

"Wh-What? No! Not at all!"

Mora laughed at how shocked Gan was by the turn of events. "I had a feeling we would tie. If the coarse had been a little longer, Gan would have had me for sure. His seal has more muscle than mine to get up that hill. If you hadn't almost hit that rock back there, I'm sure you would have won."

Gan crossed his arms and smirked at Mora before turning to Teaka who stood nearby. "So, what's our prize?"

"Only your favorite pastry." The woman smiled as the two went wide eyed with glee. "Come to my shop later and I'll have sweet rolls for you, hm?"

"I don't mean to be a spoil sport…" Another woman chimed in from somewhere in the large crowd. "But… we placed bets…"

Eabim shook her head, laughing. "We can have a celebration of fun and victory."

The sun had set not long ago as Gan and Mora walked into Teaka's bakery, the smell of sweet rolls making both of them salivate. Mora ran in first, grinning back at Gan as he walked in a little slower, heavy drink still fogging his mind from the celebrations. "It's amazing how quickly everyone can get the square ready for a celebration."

"One might think that all we Gerudo like to do is drink and party." Teaka chuckled from behind her bar, sipping from her dark glass.

Mora raised a brow at Teaka but shook her head and said nothing. She plopped down at the bar, licking her lips as the baker pulled out two sweet rolls. She didn't make them as often as she used to, but when the two wanted one, she did her best to make a few for them. "Thank you, Teaka!"

Ganondorf plopped down next to Mora, carefully picking the sweet roll up with his hand and taking a large bite from it. "This stuff is amazing. Why did you stop making them again?"

"They just didn't sell very well; they go best with milk. But out here in the desert it's hard to get my hands on milk." Teaka shrugged and came around to their side, sitting next to Mora. "And when I do get my hands on milk it only lasts for a day at most. Gets expensive out this far."

"Can we not get cows out here?" Gan frowned at Teaka, wondering to himself about how they hadn't ever tried to get cows out to the desert.

Teaka let out a scoff and rolled her eyes at the prince. "We are missing one thing for cows to eat out here, prince. And that, is grass." She couldn't help her laughter when the prince made an 'oh, right' kind of look. "Your mother did try when she first became queen. We had a small plot of grass for cattle, but it died quickly, and we were forced to send the cattle away so they wouldn't die of exposure or starvation."

Mora hugged Gan's arm as he walked her back to her house for the night. "I had fun today, Gan."

"We should race more often." He teased, flexing his arm that she clung to.

"We should extend the coarse before we race again, it would be more fun, I think." Mora squeezed his flexed arm, laughing softly to herself. "Do you want to watch the stars with me for a little while?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Gan led her around the back of her home and the two climbed the ladder all the way to the top. Gan watched as Mora got the pillows up there situated before he stretched out on the blankets and looked up, smiling at all the glittering stars above him. "You know, one of the books I read said that legends are spoken of like the stars in the sky."

"Do you hope to be a legendary King, Gan?" Mora stretched out next to him, her hand carefully touching his side.

"I don't hope to be. I will be. I'll live on forever, just like the stars."


	21. Let The Fighting Begin

Water lapped at her skin; a cool tingling sensation thrummed through her body as she lay there in that shallow pool. She could hear a soft rhythmic humming; it was a soothing noise. But then her senses came crashing around her and Mora sat up with a scared cry, her eyes were wide, and her mind was going so fast she couldn't tell what her thoughts were. But her heartrate was slow, despite her anxiety. The room around her was dark except for the soft blue light that came from the bed of water she lay in. As quick as she could, she scrambled out. As soon as her body hit the hard floor beneath, her heartrate picked up, racing just as fast as her mind.

Mora stumbled to her feet, her fingers clawing at the pedestal nearby. She ripped something out of its' spot, but her fear was too overwhelming for her to care as she watched the wall part and a door opened up for her. She gasped and pushed through the door before it was opened all the way. She numbly ran through the long hall, water still dripping from her clothes and hair.

The sky was dark, and the moon hung full above her when she ran out. She came to a halt when she reached the edge of a sheer drop, a small shriek leaving her as she struggled to balance and stay on the higher ground. She fell back on her rump, panting as she looked around. Her blood ran cold and her whole body went stiff when she saw something moving in the shadows. Before she could hide, it lit up with a blue energy, a single bright blue eye focused on her.

Duske sat at the makeshift table, looking up at an exhausted looking Imo. He quietly sipped at his tea, frowning at the reflection he saw. "Imo… I'm sorry about what happened."

"When she wakes up… how will I tell her? Is it wrong of me to hope that another guard is here when she wakes up?" Imo looked up at Duske, her eyes clouded and puffy from old tears. "She'll try to find a way to blame herself."

Duske tried to find the right words to say to Imo, to help think of a way to ease the news of tragedy onto Mora. He started to say something when a loud screech broke through the silence of the night and three bright blue beams of light exploded just outside the cathedral. He stared at Imo and the two jumped up, grabbing their weapons on the way out. He glared at the three guardians whose heads twisted around and cried out as they tried to find their prey. He hated those damn things. He pulled a small tablet off his hip and punched a button, watching the three machines slowly look to him before leaving him and Imo in peace.

Imo let out a small noise when she saw Mora, scared and panting, slowly stand from her hiding spot just behind the retaining wall. "Mora…"

Duske turned on his heel and stared at the frightened girl. "We should have gotten an alert that you were awake." He growled and pulled the small tablet back out, jabbing his finger against the screen a few times. "Damn technology."

"What the hell was that about?" Mora whined as she carefully removed herself from her hiding spot.

Imo moved to her, though her steps were painfully slow. "Mora… I'm so sorry."

"I told those damn Sheikah that we should camp up closer to that damned shrine." Duske hissed as he fumbled with the now shrieking tablet. "Oh, now you go off! Thanks, you piece of shit!"

Mora went still when Imo wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, sobs breaking from the Gerudo woman. "I… Imo… everything is alright… why are you crying so hard? It hasn't been that long since I last saw you."

Duske turned to the two females, his frown deepening when Imo only let out harder sobs. "Mora… how long were you asleep?"

"A week?" Mora wrapped her arms around Imo, grunting from how tight the Gerudo squeezed her.

"Mora…" Duske's shoulders went limp as he shook his head, moving over to her. "We have a lot to talk about. I think it's best you come inside…" He carefully guided the two into the cathedral, pulling a chair out for Mora while Imo sat as close as possible, idly playing with the light brown hair. "It's been a year since… you… well, since you came to Hyrule."

Mora felt like her world was torn in two again, her eyes slowly widened as she stared at Duske. "Then…" She stopped and looked at Imo, her throat tightening up as tears threatened her. "Why is Imo crying?"

"Gerudo village… has been under attack for some time by monsters that appeared shortly after Gan got back home with the rest of the party… Nikesa… she was one of the first to go out and fight, she wanted to hit the dark beast where it hurt most, since he had taken you from her…"

"No." Mora quickly got up, nearly tripping over the chair she sat in. "Don't you dare."

Imo grabbed Mora's arms, her lip quivering as she struggled to say the words. "Mora… Nikesa… she loved you so much."

**~ One Year Ago ~**

Ganondorf stopped walking, the desert sun beating down on his small group as they stared at the entrance of the village, a small group was waiting for them. And in front was Nikesa and Eabim. He turned to his group, frowning at Najida. "Wait here, I need to tell Nikesa that Mora isn't with us…" He turned before the three could question him, lifting his chin as he approached his mother and Nikesa.

The closer the Prince drew, the fainter Nikesa's smile grew. She held her hands against her chest, frowning at him. "Prince… why do you have that look on your face?"

"Nikesa… I'm sorry. Mora didn't make the trip back with us. She… she fell under some kind of spell from Demise, she's been asleep pretty much the first day we got to Hyrule Castle." Gan watched as Nikesa broke down, her knees trembled as they threatened to give out beneath her. He caught her when they did. "They're taking care of her, the Sheikah have a shrine they had been working on that they're putting her in to keep her stable until she wakes up. We're hoping soon."

"I want to see her again, Ganondorf." Nikesa clung to him, trying not to let the tears fall as she feared for her daughter.

Gan looked to his mother, glaring at her. "Why didn't you tell Nikesa who Mora was?"

Nikesa straightened some and looked to her Queen. "What?"

Eabim glared at her son but shook her head. "Here is not the place to discuss this."

"Mother."

Eabim's eyes hardened on Ganondorf, but she could see in his eyes that if she didn't say it, he would. She sighed and shook her head, scoffing to herself. "Mora is Queen Zelda's first-born daughter. The Gerudo took her in to hide her." She looked at Ganondorf and Nikesa, seeing anger and hurt in their eyes. "If we didn't, she would probably be dead by now. The King needed to prove that Zelda was… unfaithful, not that it would really matter in his case. Mora would have proven that." Eabim frowned more when more Gerudo gathered around her, and then her eyes landed on Najida. "Who… is this?"

"I am Najida, from the Zonai." Najida bowed deep, keeping her eyes cast down to avoid offending Eabim.

Eabim turned and pushed through her people, not caring to glance back at her son as she spoke. "Bring your party to the palace. We will discuss more there."

Najida stood awkwardly to the side, rocking on her toes while Eabim growled at Ganondorf for calling her out in front of the village. She glanced over when she felt eyes on her, her eyes widening some when she saw Nikesa watching her. Najida stilled and looked ahead of her, trying to fight the feeling off her skin. Though, she perked up again when Eabim jabbed a hand in the warrior's direction.

"And then you bring a stranger into our home? And you mean to tell me that this girl is someone you wish to make an alliance with the Zonai through her? Who is she, pray tell."

Gan had his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed as he waited for the heat in his mothers' eyes to go away. "_She_ is the chieftain's daughter. She traveled with us and showed me a few combat moves. Also, I told the King and Queen that I would not be sending them bodies to help guard Hyrule, we have far too much land here to watch over." He couldn't help the half smile that spread on his lips at the look on his mothers' face. "Though, I talked to Zelda later on, one Gerudo guard will go out to the Shrine where Mora is being held to wait for her to wake. We will trade out once a week."

"You say we like you're going to be one of them. You have a village to look after, boy." Eabim glared at Ganondorf, anger showing in her face by how red she was becoming. "Nikesa will guard her for a month, I'll give her that time to watch over her daughter, and then it will be week-long rotations."

The group heard a hard sob behind them, Nikesa stood in the back, her chin held high. She gave a nod to Eabim to thank the queen, a shaking breath leaving her. "I will ride up there with you, show you where she is. They informed me that you have permanent access to go into the shrine while she sleeps." Gan turned to Nikesa, giving her a soft smile.

"More like you nearly beat the Sheikah when they said no the first time." Najida shrugged, smirking at the pointed look she got from Gan and the shocked look on Eabim's face.

Nikesa slowly stepped forward, cutting off the conversation about the Sheikah. "Eabim… I've been thinking… if Mora really is the first-born daughter of Queen Zelda… why was she not named Zelda?"

Biana stepped up next to Nikesa, putting her hand on the womans' shoulder. "Why would you name an infant Zelda if you're going to send her away to protect her? Naming her Zelda would do more harm than good."

Najida went still, eerily so. She slowly turned to the group, her eyes widening. "Wait… she was never given the name Zelda?"

Gan put his hands on his hips and stretched his neck, shrugging at Najida. "No, I guess not."

"Why? Why wasn't she named Zelda? Why didn't they give her that name?"

"Did I not just say the reasoning?" Biana gawked at Najida, her eyes narrowing. "Why are you acting like this is such a big deal?"

"Because it is. Every Princess born to the Goddess blood _must_ be named Zelda. Mora has a connection to the others named Zelda in her bloodline." Najida couldn't stop herself, she grabbed Nikesa, her eyes wide as she spoke. "It isn't just a name; the royal family has become reckless. The name is a ward against evil. That's why Mora was so easily possessed. Dahak was confused on why she was possessed because it never should have happened. She became possessed by this evil and then through her, it got to the Princess. If it gets ahold of the Queen…" She turned to Gan, sweeping her hands out to motion to everyone in the room. "If Demise gets his hands on the Triforce of Wisdom, then we're all doomed. And you'll be next. He can't get to you. If he does…" She gritted her teeth, her hand moving to the dagger on her hip. "I'll put you down myself."

Gan froze, staring at Najida. She would dare threatened to kill him, in a room full of could be enemies. He swallowed the lump in his throat, he knew better. She could handle everyone in this room. She wasn't worried in the slightest. "Najida… do you know how we can fix this?"

"It's too late, now." Najida snarled, anger in her eyes as she turned to Eabim. "On your leave, I must go inform Dahak and Jayr."

A few months had passed since Najida had left the Gerudo to go tell her people of what she had learned. Ganondorf stared at the empty throne in front of him, his body tensing as he turned and slowly sat down, looking out the main entrance for the palace. He was the only one awake at this hour, the sun hadn't even come up over the mountains that surrounded his home.

"Didn't I teach you manners, Duno?"

Or he had thought he was alone. Gan glanced over, seeing his mother walking down the stairs that led to her sleeping quarters. She was smiling at him, as she took a sip of her morning tea. She paused at the bottom, waving at him to stay sitting when he started to get up. "I've thought about handing over the throne early. I think you're ready for it."

"You can't be serious."

"I am. I want to see my King on his throne."

"You'll have plenty of time to see me sitting on that thing."

Eabim laughed as she moved to him, wrapping her arms around his torso when he stood up. "How are you doing, Duno."

"I…" Gan wrapped his arms around his mother, squeezing her to him as he pressed his nose against the top of her head. "It's too quiet, Niladi. The village."

Eabim leaned into him, sighing softly. "I never thought I would see the day that I agree with you. Your little gorokastro gave this place life."

"She wasn't a monster."

"She was your monster."

"Mother."

"Son.

The two grumbled at each other for a moment before Eabim chuckled and pulled back, looking up at him. "Fine, she wasn't a monster. Though, she was close enough."

"When did you get so short, mother?" Gan raised a brow at her, smirking when she smacked his chest.

"I wouldn't be so short if you stopped growing like a weed." Eabim hissed, laughing when he did. She had a soft side, but only Ganondorf got to enjoy that side of her.

"Mother-" Before Ganondorf could start his thoughts, a loud bell chimed from deep in the village. The Prince and Queen perked up, looking out the main entrance. Gan slowly started towards the sound of the bell when Eabim grabbed his arm.

"I will be there shortly; you hold back whatever this might be until I get there."

Gan watched his mother race up to her room to put on something besides her nightclothes. He gritted his teeth and took off, running down the stairs and to the main village entrance. He slowed his long strides when Mora joined him, everything would be alright if she was by his side. He nearly fell on his face when he looked back at who had joined him, Ubo. Ubo had joined him. Not Mora. He shook out his long red hair before turning his attention to the main gate, seeing Imo and another guard standing at the ready. "What's the meaning of the bell?"

As if to answer his question, a lightning arrow whizzed by his head, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Gan looked out beyond the safety of his walls as the arrow hit the ground somewhere behind him, exploding in a small blast of electricity. "Ubo… will you go get my claymore and trident?" His green eyes were half closed as he grabbed the spear Imo was holding, before the monster in front of them could nock another arrow, Gan pulled the spear back over his shoulder.

Ubo started to go get the weapons asked of her, but she felt as if some of her strength was being asked from her. When she relaxed, she saw sparks gather at the tip of the spear Ganondorf was holding. Her jaw went slack when he threw the spear, watching it fly. Ubo stumbled back a step when a small wave of power washed over her, electricity burned down the spear as it slammed into the chest of the monster. The monster in front of them clawed at the weapon that impaled its' chest before it slid down the hard wood, dead. She quickly turned and ran for the palace, her eyes wide. "Ring the bell again! Monsters are headed for the village!"

Ganondorf held his hand out to the other guard, his eyes filled with a cool hatred as he looked to the other monsters that surrounded the one he impaled. He had seen them before; in the temple ruins. But these ones were more lizard-like than they were pig-like. He went to pull the spear back over his shoulder when he felt a hand on his shoulder, with a quick look, he saw Nikesa holding her hand for the spear. "Nikesa…"

"My Prince. With your permission."

Gan knew he should tell her to wait, the two of them couldn't take on all these monsters by themselves. But he could see the anger in her eyes, she knew where these monsters came from, there was no doubt in her mind. "Imo, grab us more spears."

A wicked smile spread on Nikesa's lips as she took the spear from Ganondorf. She turned side face to a monster just beyond the one Gan took down, pulling the spear back. "I read a story to Mora when she was little, it was about the last Gerudo King. He could ask his people for strength, and when he did, they would give it to him. He could control the skies anger with that strength. All he had to do was snap his fingers."

Gan glanced down at his hands as Nikesa talked to him. All that King had to do was snap. He looked back up at the monsters, staring down the biggest one that roared at them from where it stood. Nikesa threw the spear, it wasn't as strong of a throw as Gan's, but it impaled one lizard in the shoulder, nearly ripping the monsters arm off. "You know, you're of his bloodline. They try to keep the Kings' line on the throne, hoping it will bring forth another King one day. I don't think we as a people have ever actually strayed from the first Kings' blood on the Gerudo side." Nikesa continued, rolling her shoulders as Imo ran back up to them, spears clattering to the ground where she dropped them.

Ubo ran up next to Gan, panting as she handed him golden trident and the old claymore Mora had given him. "Prince, your mother is coming. She wishes that you would have waited to throw the first spear, she might get onto you for that-" She gasped when Ganondorf shrugged at her before walking towards the monsters, heavy claymore in hand.

Eabim ran up in time to see her son trading blows with a larger pig-faced monster as a few other guards fought with the smaller lizards; Nikesa being one of them. "She just got back from the Shrine, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did." Ubo watched the others fight, glancing behind them as others came to watch. "Biana is on her way to relieve the other guard that took over after Nikesa."

Gan stabbed his claymore into the ground, so the hilt was facing up for him to grab easily at a moment notice while he pulled out his trident. He spun around the back of the large monster, his trident stabbing right into the beast's calf. It let out a loud roar as it struggled to turn and keep up with Gan's quick movements. Gan went to dodge the large club the monster swung when a spear easily slid through the forearm of the beast. He looked around, seeing Nikesa readying another spear for the large monster.

The beast turned towards Nikesa, ignoring the threat that Ganondorf held. While the beast limped towards Nikesa, Gan lashed out again, slicing open the back of the beast's leg. He watched it tumble to the ground, a pained noise leaving the beast. He went to run around and slash at the beast's head when Nikesa came down, slamming another spear into the monsters' temple. The monster spasmed for a moment before going still. She turned to her Prince, giving him a smirk.

Gan started for Nikesa, wanting nothing more than to celebrate their small victory when he noticed a pained look come to her eyes. She coughed, blood leaving her lips and spraying across Gan's face. He grabbed her as she went down, her hands clutching an arrow that was buried in her belly. Gan looked around, seeing a large horde of monsters' coming from the East. With a growl, he carefully scooped her up and took her back towards the village.

The other guards that were out there with the two of them covered them, throwing spears towards the lizard monsters' that shot at them. "Get the medic." Gan shouted as he gently set Nikesa down by the fountain, his fingers brushing her hair from her face. "You need to be a bit more careful." He teased Nikesa who struggled to cough from the pain.

"Prince… I'm sorry." Nikesa closed her eyes and whimpered as an older Gerudo woman approached them, her dark green eyes narrowed on the arrow.

"You are lucky they didn't use a shock arrow on you, girl. You can't be so reckless." The old woman let out a hoarse growl as she put a heavy piece of cloth on Nikesa's stomach around the arrow. "Prince, put pressure there."

Eabim watched over Gan's shoulder, wincing when Nikesa cried out in pain from how the older Gerudo pulled the arrow out. A younger girl rushed up with a small potion in her hands, making Nikesa drink the sour liquid. "You'll be out of commission for a while." Eabim stated when Nikesa wiped the blood from her lip. "You should have paid attention to your surroundings, Nikesa. Your clouded."

Nikesa turned a sharp eye to her Queen before looking away, feeling the potion work its' magic on the wound in her belly. She would be fine come morning. "And if I fight despite your word?"

"Then you can stay out there and fight until you fall."

Ganondorf turned to his mother, a deep frown on his lips. "She just wants-"

"She wants revenge on a being that has hurt her daughter. She doesn't want to fight for the Gerudo. I know how she is when she fights for her people, that isn't what she's doing." Eabim turned to the medic, dipping her head. "Thank you for healing her wounds, Kima."

The small group watched Eabim turn and go back towards the palace, leaving her people to fight the monsters that were slowly surrounding them. Nikesa winced as she sat up so Kima could wrap her torso. "Your mother is harsh, Gan. But she speaks the truth. I have wanted nothing more than to fight that beast and his minions since I laid eyes on Mora asleep in that Shrine."

Gan helped Nikesa up, glancing around to see who was still inside instead of fighting. "Ubo, take Nikesa home then come join us outside. It will be easy enough to get rid of these monsters."

"I'm surprised they waited so long to attack." Nikesa kept a tight hold on Gan's wrist, making sure he was looking to her. "They could have attacked at any point while you were gone, and when you first got home. But they chose now? Why?"

Kima flicked Nikesa on the forehead, frowning at the woman. "Hush yourself. They are monsters, they don't think. They just do as they're told. Go rest so we can get our good fighters out there."

Nikesa growled at the woman but turned and walked with Ubo back to her home, glancing back at Gan once before they disappeared into the streets. Gan looked back outside, he could hear the fighting between his people and the monsters. Why now? He had to blink a few times to register that Talo was in front of him, waiting for orders, as well as a few other guards. "Uhm… Talo, I need a favor for you. Will you write to Hyrule Castle? Ask Queen Zelda if she has had any reports of monsters near the Shrine, and Castle. Or any of the domains. While you're at it, will you write to Najida and the Zonai? Let them know what's happening."

Talo dipped her head and took off towards a small building near the palace while the others followed Gan outside the gates, spears in hand. "Let's get this over with so we can try to have a normal day, shall we?"


	22. Heroes Fall

Gan tried to keep his face neutral as he waited with his mother at the oasis for their guests. He jumped some when his mother lightly pinched his side, casting a glare at the woman. "I'm awake."

"I know you would rather be back at home, but the King is joining the Queen today, so we had to have our meeting out here." Eabim poked at Ganondorf, smiling at him. "You seem to dislike the King, any time I talk about him, you go quiet."

"I don't trust him."

"Any reason in particular?"

"I just… my gut says not to."

Eabim tipped her head some, giving her son a raised eyebrow. "Sometimes it is best to listen to your gut instincts. We will keep the King at arm's length. Hence meeting them at the oasis and not letting a male into the village."

"He'll make a comment about how I'm allowed inside."

"You are Gerudo."

"Yes, but-" Gan and Eabim looked up from the water's edge when they saw the fat old King and the beautiful Queen coming into the oasis. "Here they are." He whispered as he put a smile on his face.

Eabim walked up first, holding her hand out to the Queen, shaking her hand gently before turning to the King and holding her hand out, letting him kiss the back of her hand. "It is so good to see you again, Zelda."

Zelda smiled at Eabim, glancing to Ganondorf who seemed to dwarf her now more than ever. "Did you grow again, Prince?"

Gan's cheeks slowly warmed and he scratched the back of his head, a shy smile on his lips. "Ah… yeah, I guess so."

"I feel like you were just in Hyrule, but I guess it's been almost six months, hasn't it?" Zelda folded her hands in front of herself, trying to keep her smile warm.

Gan felt the weight Zelda was trying to carry on her own, one of her daughters was safe, while the other lay in a shrine on the brink, not knowing if she would ever wake up. "Six months already? I guess time flies when you're killing monsters."

"Monsters?" Corro scoffed, narrowing his eyes on Gan. "I don't remember there being a letter telling us you were plagued by monsters."

"That's because you don't ever care to read the letters we receive." Zelda hissed over her shoulder, casting a glare at Corro. "That is the reason we're here, I told you that on the way out." She stepped away from the small group, tipping her head to the inn. "Do they sell something to drink? I'm parched."

"I brought Hylian wine, why don't we all have a glass?" Corro let out a roar of laughter, holding up a slim bottle for the others to see.

"It is far too hot." Zelda groaned, walking away from her husband. "The desert heat and wine do not go well together."

"I need to keep a clear head for when I go scouting with Nikesa later." Gan held his arm out for Zelda to grab on to so he could walk her to the inn.

Eabim rolled her eyes at the two of them, taking Gan's other arm. "You two are no fun. I shall have a glass of that, Corro. Come, let us go inside."

Corro narrowed his eyes on the three that had their backs turned on him, his lip lifting in a silent snarl as he followed them. The inn was empty besides the Gerudo woman who ran it, she lit up when the group walked in, smiling at them as she came around the counter and showed them to a table. "Waters for you all?"

"Yes, please. And two extra glasses." Eabim sat first, waiting for Zelda to sit across from her. "You know, Mora looks just like you, now that I think about it."

"Does she?" Zelda looked between Eabim and Ganondorf, her blue eyes wide.

"Yeah, but just like… your shadow. In a way." Ganondorf shrugged, having to sit awkwardly in the chair so he could be close to the table thanks to his long legs. "Have the Sheikah still not let the guards wait in the shrine with her?"

"No, they're very adamant about it for some reason." Zelda shook her head, sighing softly. She glanced over, seeing Corro finally sit next to her. "Before we get too sidetracked, we're out here for a reason."

Ganondorf sat up, rolling his shoulders as he looked between the King and Queen of Hyrule. "Have any others had reports of monsters? The Zonai have only had a small handful give them any grief, but we've had wave after wave of monsters come for the village."

"Maybe they're after something." Corro kept his eyes trained on Ganondorf, taking a sip of his water when the owner of the inn brought them their glasses.

Gan tipped his head, so he looked down his nose at the King, his deep green eyes narrowing. "And what… would they be after?"

"Their King."

Zelda turned to Corro; her eyes wide. "Corro! You can't just say that to him! They're monsters, they just want to attack and cause ruin."

"How do you know that?" Corro scoffed at Zelda, thrusting a hand towards Gan. "He's destined to be the Evil King, Ruler of Monsters, Bringer of Destruction. Why wouldn't they go after him? They need a leader. Since your hell-spawn of a daughter is currently possessed by their ruler."

Eabim froze when Gan shot up, his chair crashing into the wall behind him. She reached out, her fingers wrapping around his wrist. Her grip wasn't tight enough to keep her sons' arm back as he lashed out, grabbing a fistful of Corro's collar. "Ganondorf!" Eabim jumped up, grabbing Gan's arm, squeezing the strong muscles as her eyes pleaded with him to let go.

"There it is…" Corro let out a low laugh, his dark eyes narrowing on Gan.

Zelda stayed where she was at, watching Corro all but dangle from Gan's hold on his collar. The Gerudo Prince had white stress streaks going down his cheeks from how hard he clenched his teeth. She reached up slowly, her fingers barely brushing Gan's hand when the prince yanked away from her touch. She flinched as well, but only because Corro slammed back into his chair with a thud. Zelda pulled her hand to her chest, rubbing her fingers some. "Shocking."

Gan turned to his mother, trying his best to bring himself back to his center. But then Zelda moved, and he looked to her, he huffed and grabbed his chair, sitting himself back down. "I'm sorry mother. Zelda."

The other three waited to see if Gan would say more and for him to relax, but once they realized he had said the words he wanted to, Eabim cleared her throat. "Most of this could have been said in a letter, Zelda. I know I need not to, but I apologize for Gan, he's been fighting monsters for the last few months, going on expeditions to the farthest reaches of our territory to find where they're coming from. We have nothing new to share on this front. The Zonai have informed us that they have fought off a small handful of monsters, but nothing like what we have."

Zelda put a finger to her chin, nodding. "I will reach out to the others and see if they have had anything similar happen to them."

Gan wrapped his arm around Eabim's shoulders, squeezing her against him before he grabbed up his trident and turned to Nikesa. "We'll be back in a few days, in time to see Talo off for her trip to the shrine."

"Be safe. Both of you." Eabim frowned, not liking the idea of Gan and Nikesa going off alone to fight monsters, but neither had listened to her when she voiced her opinions earlier in the day. She watched as they both walked away from the village.

"So, we'll go search over by the Seven Heroines and then go South East from there." Ganondorf started towards where the Seven Heroines stood watch, pausing when he noticed Nikesa wasn't following him. "Nikesa?"

"Why won't you take me to the ruins where she fell?"

"Nikesa…" Gan walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can't. If it hasn't already collapsed, it will soon thanks to that arrow Mora shot."

"Gan… please. I just want to see it, one look at the front, and then we can leave." Nikesa turned to him, her eyes pleading with him to allow her that.

Gan huffed at Nikesa, shaking his head. "Fine. I swear, she got that pouting face from you."

"Where else would she have learned it?" Nikesa laughed softly, following Gan as he led the way to the old tomb.

Nikesa wiped her brow free of sweat, sighing as she looked around them. "That's a long walk. And you've done it twice now?"

"Technically four if we count the way back." Gan shrugged, his fingers toying with the band on his wrist. "More times than I care to make the trip, honestly." He stopped in the loose sand, staring up at the large doors that loomed ahead of them.

Nikesa moved to the tomb, her eyes wide as she took in the broken doors and stairs. "You haven't been here since your sixteenth name day?"

"No."

Nikesa turned to look back at Gan, seeing just how badly he wanted to get away from this place in those deep green eyes of his. She looked to the tomb one more time, wanting so badly to go look inside and see what her daughter could have seen. But she sighed and started back for Gan, her head hanging low. "And we're sure the monsters aren't coming from within?"

"You just really want to go inside, don't you?"

"I'm sorry, Ganondorf. I just…"

Gan turned around, holding a hand up to Nikesa who nearly ran into him. "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Nikesa turned in a slow circle, trying to listen for whatever her prince heard. And then she heard it, it was a slow rumbling coming from the canyon they had walked down to get to the tomb. "Gan…"

Gan pulled out his claymore, leading Nikesa back down into the canyon to see what the noise was. They walked for a few minutes until Nikesa nearly ran into Gan's back, letting out a grunt of frustration at how he just stopped without warning. Then she figured out why as a large shadow was cast over them, a deep rumbling growl vibrating ahead of them. She slowly craned her head up, her jaw going slack as she stared up into the single yellow eye on the beast in front of them. "Gan…"

"In the tomb… there's a door, five doors in if I remember correctly. There will be a crate blocking the way, but you can run in there and then up the wall of rocks. That will take you to the cave Mora found." Gan pushed back against Nikesa, urging her to backtrack. When she finally budged, Gan whirled around, flinching when the monster behind them let out a loud roar that echoed through the canyon.

The two ran, stumbling a few times when the ground shook beneath them as the beast chased after them. Nikesa fell to her knees when they broke out of the canyon and into the opening that lay before the tomb. Gan, without missing a step, grabbed her arm and yanked her up, forcing her back to her feet and pushing her towards the temple. She glanced back, seeing him turn on his heel, trident at the ready. "Ganondorf!"

"Go! Just keep running!"

Nikesa stared in awe as the wind caught sand and blew it around, the clouds above them darkened, giving the area around her an eerie feel. She jumped when lightning struck not too far away with thunder crying out just after. Her attention was pulled back to the opening when the beast came barreling in.

It was huge, its skin was… dripping a purple ooze and wherever that ooze dripped from, the hole it left would glow almost pink in color. The single eye in the middle of its head was wide, blazing an angry yellow that faded to orange close to the slit pupil. It leaned down towards Gan, its' mouth slowly opened before it let out a roar, as if it were trying to intimidate Gan.

Gan lashed out, his trident slamming into the monsters' eye when it leaned down to him and roared. It reared back, gripping its' face and cried out in pain. Though Gan didn't back off at that, he rushed in, slashing at its' legs. When he did, his trident got stuck, throwing the prince off balance. He let out a roar of his own as he struggled to free his trident from the legs of the monster.

"Ganondorf!"

He could hear something moving through the air as he struggled, but he didn't want to leave the trident. Childish as it was, it was the one his mother had given him when he was old enough to hold a weapon. He ducked and rolled away as a club slammed into the ground where he had been standing. He whirled around, glaring up at the beast from where he was, one knee down in the desert sand.

Nikesa let out a soft growl as she pulled her sword back out and ran to Gan's side, helping him up as the beast ripped its' club back out from where it made impact. The two Gerudo stared up at the monster, seeing the golden trident sticking out of its' leg. "How do we go about this? We haven't had one of these show up before."

"Its eye seems to be the only weak spot I can see, and its skin is malice, it's as if it's trying to form itself." Gan stepped back, glaring at where his trident was stuck. "I wish we had more spears; we could just make its eye a pincushion."

Nikesa couldn't help but laugh as she imagined his idea. She took a step back with him, glancing over her shoulder. "Do you think we should make a run for it?"

"Yes. And no. If we run, there's a good chance that we'll just lead it to the village."

"Where there will be more people to help us fight it."

"That is true. But how long will it take to take this thing out? Will the village walls survive that long?" Gan glanced at Nikesa, giving her a smile. "But here, I have the best fighter the Gerudo have seen in years."

"And she has reason to kill every monster that Demise throws at us." Nikesa straightened up, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck.

"If we start getting too bruised up, Nikesa… we'll have to run. Do I need to tell you the path inside the temple again?"

"No, my Prince. I remember what you said." A wicked look came to Nikesa's eyes when the beast leaned down again and roared once more. "Let's make this quick, I want to brag to Imo that I got to fight alongside our Prince."

Gan felt his cheeks warm some, all the warriors looked forward to the fights with the monsters in their own twisted way. Some it was just to prove their strength; others just wanted a chance to fight beside the male Gerudo. He went to say something when Nikesa took off, running at the monster. She was the most graceful fighter he had seen, even after seeing the Zonai fight, she could hold her own against those warriors any day of the week.

Nikesa slid between the monster's legs, reaching up and grabbing the trident. She used her weight against the pole, feeling the 'shlick' of it freeing itself from the malice. She whirled around, easily knocking out one ankle.

The beast stumbled, but it easily turned and roared at her. It swung its club down at her, but she rolled out of the way with ease. Gan ran up behind it while Nikesa had it distracted, swinging his claymore at the ankles where he saw Nikesa take a swipe. He jumped back as the monster stumbled around, roaring once more in pain. It lashed out with a hand, slamming into Gan and knocking him back.

Gan let out a grunt and stumbled back, rolling through the sand until he hit the steps of the temple behind him. His ears buzzed but he could hear Nikesa's muffled shouts for him. He slowly lifted a hand, letting her know he was alright. "Nothing is broken… I hope." He sat up, groaning out as muscles somewhere protested his movements. "You still good, Nikesa?"

He looked up to see Nikesa getting ready to throw his spear at the beast, but it was smart, it quickly covered its eye and swung its club at her. Nikesa twisted, using the trident as best she could to block the swing of the club, but the force of the monsters' swing drove her back. She let out a grunt and pushed back with all her might, but nothing would move the monster.

Lightning danced in the desert beyond their spot while thunder boomed around them. Gan could hear Nikesa let out a roar of laughter as she danced with the large monster, she dove under the club when it would come down towards her. Her feet danced in the sand, moving her around the large beast with such grace that Gan almost had issues keeping his eyes on her. "Do I have to tell your mother that _I_ did all of the fighting?" Nikesa laughed more as Gan got his bearings again. "Come distract this damn thing so I can get a good hit in the eye!"

Gan got up and trotted over, grabbing his claymore on the way over. "Yes, ma'am!" He laughed back at her as he ran, picking up speed with each step. Soon, he was sprinting at the monster, sliding beneath it and scoring his claymore down the thick calf. The skin bubbled and exploded in purple and pink as malice broke from the attack. The monster stumbled to one knee, almost landing on Gan. But the prince was quick, able to roll away from the malice covered beast while Nikesa ran up the club that was buried in the ground.

Nikesa jumped, the trident poised and ready in her hands. She thrust the trident forward, feeling it slam into the monsters' eye between the fingers that tried to block her attack. The monster flailed, its' hand slamming into Nikesa, sending her flying in another direction as it reeled back in pain.

"Nikesa!" Gan turned, running to where the older Gerudo landed, he hit the ground, sand spraying around them as he hovered over her, his green eyes wide as he stared down at her. "Nikesa…"

She gasped for breath; her body convulsed as panic raked her eyes. She was dazed from the hit, but Gan could hear the faint hissing noise of a punctured lung as a drop of blood rolled from the corner of her mouth. "Nikesa, shhh you're alright." He gently touched her face, taking pause when he noticed how his hand was shaking. "I'll get you home, we'll get you patched up."

"G-Gan…" Nikesa winced as she turned her head, looking beyond him. The world around her was so cold and quiet, but she forced a smile as she looked to him. She tried to lift her arm, but it wouldn't listen, she only felt searing pain flare up from just below her shoulder. "My arm… is broken."

"We can fix that. The… our medic… she's fixed my broken bones before." Gan whispered, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep the hand on her cheek gentle. "Why… why did you jump like that?"

Nikesa lifted her other arm, grabbing the hand that was on her cheek. "Go… finish that thing…"

Gan carefully took her sword from her hip and turned away from her, holding the claymore in one hand while holding her smaller blade in his other hand. He watched the monster, still crying out in pain with the trident stuck in its eye. The wind picked up again as Gan walked forward, his long red hair whipping around him, his body tensing the closer he got.

Nikesa watched from where she lay, a slow smile spreading on her lips. Every movement was precise as he hacked and slashed at the monster, every movement had a reason behind it. Lightning struck somewhere nearby, but she didn't hear the thunder. The longer she watched Ganondorf, the more she realized that it was anger that fueled him. She felt something pull at her… soul? She'd felt something similar once before, when the monsters had shown up the first time.

Something on Gan caught her attention, his left hand seemed to be glowing, sparks moved from his shoulder to the glowing spot on his hand. The beast was stumbling, unable to keep up with all the angry strikes from Ganondorf. It lashed out, going to hit Gan away so it could make a break for freedom. But Gan grabbed the hand that went to hit him, stopping it in its' tracks.

Gan wasn't sure what this feeling was, but power rushed through him, eager to help him. He glanced at the hand he held back, seeing his own was glowing where the Triforce was on his hand. The monster looked between its' hand and Ganondorf, a pathetic noise leaving it. It pulled, but for some reason, Gan wouldn't budge.

Ganondorf lifted his free hand, holding his hand up with his finger and thumb ready to snap. He didn't know what compelled him to do it, but he snapped his fingers. The air around him grew thick, static made the hair on the back of Gan's neck stand on end, as well as his arms. He felt power rush through him, it wasn't hungry and ready for a fight like last time. It was gentle and warm, it felt like someone kissed his forehead and the warmth spread from there, going all the way to his toes and fingers. He watched as lightning struck the beast, ripping into the monster.

He fell back, landing on his ass as the monster exploded into a puff of dark purple smoke. Gan panted; his eyes wide as he realized what he had done. He had asked for power, and the lightning had answered. He started to relax when he remembered the Nikesa needed him, needed help. Twisting around, he got up and sprinted for her. He stumbled around her, touching her cheek again. "Nikesa! Nikesa!" He stopped, his heart ached as he stared down at her, but then he heard it. A soft whistling noise. She was breathing, just barely. "I'll get you home, they'll patch you up. I promise."


	23. Race Against Time

Imo looked over at Mora who was perched on her horse now. Imo was going to head back to Gerudo Valley to let them know Mora was awake once more after a year while Mora and Duske were to head back to the castle. Imo climbed onto the horse with her, Mora recognized the horse that Biana had tamed on their way out the first time. "Ganondorf will be glad to hear you're awake."

"Let him know that I'll come back… as soon as I'm able." Mora looked to Duske, her eyes pleading with him to say she could go now, that she wasn't needed at the castle.

"I'll make sure to let him know."

Duske started off, pausing for a moment when Mora didn't follow right away. He let out a sigh and circled back, touching her arm. "I'll talk to the Queen and see if I can escort you out that way soon, alright?"

Mora gave a small nod before clicking at her horse, she stroked the beasts' neck, frowning some. "Duske… how long has it been since she went for a run?"

"Too long. She's been antsy these last couple months and hasn't let anyone ride her."

"Can I stretch her legs?"

Duske looked ahead of them, seeing the castle not too far off. "To the ranch and back, alright?" He pointed to the small ranch to the right of them. "I'll be on the other side of the field so you can let her run around there."

Mora let her horse slowly pick up speed, tipping her head back when the mare realized she wasn't going to be stopped while running through the field. Mora let go of the reigns, her throat tightened as she thought about the years stolen from her by lies that weren't her own. About how Nikesa was…

The girl grabbed the reigns, yanking to the left but her horse followed eagerly, blowing by Duske without a second thought. The two raced down the dirt road, weaving through guards that tried to stop them on the road as Duske shouted at them.

Duske had to slow his horse that was panting by the time they got to the main road that went under the Great Plateau. He watched as some of the guard that had been at the Gatepost grabbed their own horse and took off after the girl.

Imo glanced over her shoulder, wondering what the commotion was when Mora raced by her. "Mora!" Imo cursed under her breath and forced the horse she rode to pick up speed to catch up to Mora. "Mora, wait!" Her grip on her reigns tightened as she raced behind Mora. "Gan can't see you yet! H-He told us that we were to tell you he didn't want to-"

She watched as Mora slowed her horse to a stop, the small mare panted but seemed antsy to let loose again. "Didn't want to what…?" Mora's head hung as Imo came up next to her, her voice was shaky and strangled.

Imo frowned when she saw Mora trying to hold back sobs. "Mora… he wants some time to explain things to you-"

"He's had a whole year."

"Six months…" Imo cleared her throat, quickly looking away when Mora shot her an angry, tear filled look. "Let me go back to the village and speak to Ganondorf, let him know that you're awake. He's been through a lot these last few months. With the monster attacks and Nikesa… and Eabim-"

"What about Eabim?"

"I think you need to get on my horse, Mora. Zelda wanted to explain things to you when you woke up, and it can't wait for you to have a little trip back to the Gerudo." Duske snapped, all but biting Mora's head off as he came up on her other side. "I gave you a little trust to let you run for a moment and you broke that so you could do what? Go see some King who can't see you?"

Mora turned her attention to Duske, her eyes narrowing. "Gan would have just turned seventeen. He isn't King."

"And you've been asleep for a year like some sleeping beauty waiting for true loves first kiss." Duske growled at her, pulling the reigns away from her. "The Queen will explain everything soon." He watched as Mora awkwardly wiggled off her saddle and slid over to his horse. "You may have been able to run around free as a bird with the Gerudo, but that will all change now. You have to be an example." He tipped his head to Imo. "I apologize for the troublemaker."

"She is no troublemaker, Captain." Imo whispered as she gave Mora a sympathetic look. "I'll come back and escort you back home when Gan gives the approval."

Mora grumbled and wrapped her arms around herself, barely leaning against Duske for stability as they rode for the castle. "I let you run loose and that's how you repay me? Your mother _should_ have named you Zelda. I'm half certain the name means difficult to deal with." Duske growled, making sure the mare was tied to his saddle horn as they traveled.

Mora frowned at the large castle that seemed to grow bigger with each step. A loud explosion somewhere nearby had Mora jumping from her skin. "What the hell was that?"

"The reason you can't go racing off like you did. The monsters aren't attacking just Gerudo Village anymore."

"Monsters?"

Duske sighed and glanced back at Mora, his green eyes seemed so sad. "Yes, monsters. Ganondorf says they are like the ones the two of you saw in that temple. The Sheikah have sent guardians out all over Hyrule to help fight them, but… they don't move well through the sand. The Gerudo have been fighting on their own for months." He shook his head, looking in the direction of the explosion. "That's why Zelda wanted to see you first. To see what you knew."

"I've been… and I quote 'asleep for a year like some sleeping beauty, awaiting true loves first kiss.' What would I know?" Mora growled, using Duske's words against him.

Duske cast a glare over his shoulder at the girl. "You have a smart mouth like your mother."

"I seem to get a lot of things from her." Mora watched as two monsters on horseback broke through the trees, clearly running from something. "What are-" Before she could finish her question though, two guardians burst out after them. The monsters were the pig faced ones Mora remembered from the temple. They snorted and screeched at each other as they ran away from the huge machines. "Are we not going to go after them as well?"

"I would like to keep my skin, thank you." Duske chuckled softly. "The guardians know the difference, but their goal is to destroy the monsters, no matter what." The two watched a whitish beam shoot from one of the guardians, easily wiping out both monsters. Duske couldn't help his laughter when he heard Mora gasp in surprise. "That's why, when you see a guardian already fighting, you don't interfere."

"Got it…" Mora whispered as she leaned into Duske while they rode for Castle Town.

Mora stared up at the Queen who was trying to calm Link down. "The dark beast gains power with each passing day, I'm no closer to finding sword than I was a year ago." Link growled as he threw his arms up in anger.

Zelda crossed her arms, casting a glance back at Mora who waited quietly. "Link… I really can't justify a search party into the forest for the sword."

As Mora stood there, the world around her darkened. Sword. Link needed the Master Sword. Before she knew it, the large throne room was gone.

_Mora broke free of the temple again, but her feet hit lush grass instead of hot, loose sand. She whirled around, taking in the fog and trees that surrounded her. She watched as a shadow slid through the fog. With a glance over her shoulder, Mora saw the temple was gone._

"I know how to find it."

Link whirled on his heels; his bright blue eyes wide. Zelda froze behind him, almost startled that Mora had even said anything. "You do?"

"You will not take Mora on some wild goose chase to find the Master Sword." Zelda gasped, her bright blue eyes narrowing on Link.

"He'll never find it on his own." Mora crossed her arms over her belly keeping a careful eye on the Queen. "We can take Duske."

"You will not drag me into this." Duske growled at the Hero and Princess.

Mora glanced over her shoulder, a smirk on her lips. "So, what was-"

"You keep your mouth shut." Duske snapped from his horse as the three traveled towards the Great Hyrule Forest. His attention snapped to Link who was chuckling on his horse. "Don't encourage this!"

"Why did Eabim give the throne to Gan so early?" Mora's voice was barely a whisper as she slowed her mare to be next to Duske.

Duske frowned at the girl next to him before looking down at his hands. "She has fallen ill. We've tried to help by sending out our royal doctor… but he and their healer agree that there isn't anything they can do besides make her comfortable."

"Zelda mentioned her mother having a similar sickness to what Eabim has." Link shrugged, glancing to Mora. "Perhaps after this we can ride out there and you can see her one last time."

Mora nodded as she clicked at her mare, making her pick up speed, lifting her chin some so the two she traveled with wouldn't see her tear-filled eyes.

Imo ignored the confused looks from the two guards as she walked through the main gates of her home. It was the middle of her week to watch over the shrine, everyone in that village would know something had happened to Mora. Ganondorf had given strict orders to stay and watch unless something had happened, or they were relieved of their station. She cast a glance over to her right, seeing Teaka staring at her. The older Gerudo woman gave a nod before disappearing into her shop. Imo climbed the stairs to the palace, her heart in her throat when Biana and Ubo looked at her, their eyes wide. "Where… where is Ganondorf?"

Ubo's eyes shifted to someone just to the left of Imo, her body rigid when Ganondorf froze halfway down the stairs. "limo? What are you doing home?"

Her Kings voice was hoarse as he spoke to her, but she could hear the hint of anger there. Imo let out a breath and turned to him, lifting her chin to meet his dark green eyes. "She's awake, my King."

Ganondorf's eyes narrowed on Imo but he only gave a short nod in response before moving over to the throne to sit, though he didn't turn to sit just yet. "My mother is asleep now. When she wakes back up I'll go inform her, I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear that." As he stood in front of the throne, frowning at it, he turned to Ubo and Biana. "Will you come find me if she wakes?"

Ubo nodded quickly while Biana stepped forward. "Ganondorf. I do not think this is wise." She only glared back at him when he loomed over her. "Imo, what did you tell Mora of Nikesa?"

The noise Imo made was unnatural, tears welled in her eyes as she stared at Ganondorf. "I couldn't… bring myself to tell her. I… she thinks she's dead."

Ganondorf let out a frustrated sigh before turning away from them and slipping out of the palace. His long strides quickly brought him to the house he visited every day, he had to lean down to get inside now. His dark eyes found the old woman in the red and blue silks that cared for Nikesa. She was in the kitchen, making some kind of liquid. "Are you about to-"

"Oh, my King. I was just preparing it; I will let it cool while you talk to her." The old woman grinned at Ganondorf, bowing slightly as she took her leave from the small house.

Ganondorf waited until the old woman was gone before he went further into the house, frowning when he saw Nikesa sitting in her old reading chair. Her head was leaning to one side, her hands limp in her lap. He went to her side, helping her prop her head up with the pillows the used to keep her comfortable. "Hey, Nikesa." He moved the brittle red hair away from her forehead. He watched as she slowly blinked and struggled to breathe. The woman that cared for her had come to the village shortly after Ganondorf had returned with the nearly dying warrior, the woman had claimed she could help heal Nikesa. Ganondorf and Eabim had agreed to let her in, but neither had realized that only the body would be healed, not her soul.

Nikesa was a husk of what she used to be. Her cheeks and eyes were sunken in, her usually bright green eyes were dull and unfocused. Her hair fell out in clumps and would break if someone breathed wrong around her. Her breaths were shallow, and she wouldn't eat unless the old caretaker made her an elixir with the nutrients she needed to survive. Ganondorf blamed himself for this pain that Nikesa went through every day, but he could never bring himself to end the suffering. What if she got better? What if she spoke to him?

"Imo has returned, she says…" He sat next to her on the floor, carefully taking her frail hands in his large ones. "She said that Mora is awake again…" He glanced up to her face, not seeing any change. "I'll be sending a letter to Hyrule Castle later today, to have them send her this way. Or I could just send a small envoy to pick her up." Ganondorf chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think that would be received well, though. What do you think?" He stroked her hands, feeling the skin tear along the back of one hand. "Shit. Sorry, Nikesa."

He twisted around, keeping her hands in his while his other hand searched for the kit of bandages and wraps. This wasn't the first time this had happened; she could hardly be touched without getting a tear in her skin somewhere. "I knew better than to do that. I'm sorry." He whispered as he found the kit and wrapped her hand, making sure it was just tight enough to keep the spot from bleeding too much.

"So, Mora is awake?"

Ganondorf's head snapped up, looking towards the voice. Teaka stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. "Teaka… yeah. From what Imo said."

"Good, she can come do what you can't. What none of us can." Teaka stepped in, shooing her King away from Nikesa. "Nikesa should have died on that battlefield, Ganondorf. We all know that."

Ganondorf gnashed his teeth as Teaka picked the frail warrior up and carefully laid her down on the bed they had put in the room. "I will not ask her to-"

"You won't have to. She'll take one look at Nikesa and know that her mother wouldn't want to live like this."

"We all know that-"

"If Mora wasn't awake right now… I'd put a pillow over Nikesa's head this very moment. But Mora deserves to see her mother one last time. You need to get her here, and soon, Ganondorf." Teaka finished tucking Nikesa into the bed, a frown set deep on her lips as she pulled red hair from her fingers. "You can't be selfish just because you're a King. It isn't fair to those around you."

Ganondorf put a hand to his temple, growling to himself as he listened to Teaka. "I know, I know. I'll take care of Nikesa after Mora sees her one last time… and then I'll see what I can do for my mother."

Duske slowly got off his horse when the entered the forest, his eyes wide. "I have never been here before. How many times have you been here, Link?"

"Way too many." Link snorted as he got off his horse, his hands fisted at his side. "I can barely take two steps into the fog before I'm right back here."

Mora looked around, quickly turning in a circle as she remembered her dreams. Her steps were slow at first, but soon she was running. She could hear Link and Duske behind her, then it was only Link shouting at her. She ducked beneath branches and jumped over roots, zigzagging through the rotting trees.

"Mora! Wait up!" Link could barely see the girl through the fog, but he followed as quick as he could, gasping when the fog grew too thick to see through. "Mora!" He stumbled, toppling over the girl when he broke through the fog. "Fuck!" He gasped, rolling over as he gripped his head. "Why did you stop?"

"Link. Look."

Link opened his eyes, his breath catching in his throat when he saw what lay ahead. The Master Sword glowed just down the trail ahead of them, but where the stories had said there would be life, was darkness. The grass crumbled beneath his feet as he got up and walked. Tree branches lay broken across the old path, the oldest tree looked like it would break apart at any moment and come crashing down on them.

Mora stayed close behind Link as the stepped around branches, her eyes scanning the area around them. Death surrounded them, but the closer Mora looked at the dead trees, the more it looked wrong. She looked up at Link who stood over the sword now. "Are you going to…?"

"I have to. We need it." Link took in a deep breath before grabbing the hilt.

Mora felt a small wave of magic wash over her, her eyes about to pop from her skull when she watched Link. The sword was absorbing his life energy. She could see his hair becoming brittle, his pale skin grayed, and he looked like he was slowly getting close to deaths door the longer he held onto that sword.

The sword shifted up some, Link let out a grunt as he struggled to pull up on it. "Link… let go! Let go of the sword!" He pulled harder the more Mora told him to let go. He had to prove himself to Zelda. He had to be the Hero.

"Link! Don't pull the sword!"

The girls' voice was desperate now, but Link had to do this. He flinched when something touched his leg. He slowly opened his eyes, dread filling him when he saw malice seeping from the same hole the sword was piercing. "No…"

Mora growled at Link as she ran at him, tackling him to the ground and away from the sword. "Stupid!" She rolled over in the shallow water they landed in, looking to the sword. But it wasn't there.

Link looked at his right hand, seeing the sword glowing brightly in his grasp. "Why did you tackle me?"

"To try and… stop you…" Mora whispered as she stared at the sword as well, wishing she hadn't tackled Link away from the sword.

"You hit hard; you know that?" Link looked to Mora, laughing as he tried to make light of the situation. Though, the two nearly jumped from their skins when a tower of malice exploded from where the sword once sat. He glanced over with wide eyes, watching as a large beast slowly formed from the tower of malice and turned to them. Its' eyes blazed red and it dug a hoof into the ground, preparing to charge.


	24. The Final Fight?

Duske paced around when Link and Mora disappeared into the trees and fog, leaving him behind. He looked around, frowning at how the trees almost seemed to reach out and grabs at him. He stepped towards his horse when he heard a howling. A loud crashing noise had him jumping from his skin and spinning around to try and pinpoint where the noise came from. The old Captain climbed on to his horse, getting ready to take off at a moment's notice.

He began to relax until he saw Malice shoot into the sky. His heart raced as he waited, watching for Link and Mora. Movement to his left had him forcing his horse back. "Link! Where's Mora?!"

Link was wide eyed as he burst through the trees. "Run! Just run!"

Mora stared up at the beast, glancing over to Link who was slowly rising with the sword aimed and ready. "Wait. Link…" She got up, jumping to her feet and jerking to the side. She watched as the beast turned, yellow eyes following her every breath. "Go back to Duske, run."

Link whirled on Mora; eyes wide as he stared at her. "Excuse you?"

Mora rolled her eyes and moved again, as she stepped away from Link, the beast turned with her, its' nostrils flaring. "Demise doesn't care about you, you haven't been living a nightmare with him for the last year, you haven't had him trapped in your head for the last year and a half. He doesn't care about you. He cares about himself."

Link lunged towards Mora, hand stretched out towards her to grab her, but the girl was quick. She easily dodged him and took off into the woods, the beast let out a roar and chased after her. "Dammit! Dammit! Duske is going to kill me." Link hissed, biting his lip as he looked around.

"You left her to the beast!?" Duske gasped as he started to get off his horse, taking pause when Mora burst through the trees on the other side of the clearing. "Mora!"

"Why are you still here?! I told you to run!" Mora gasped, nearly stumbling to her face when a tree collapsed behind her.

Duske's jaw dropped when a massive boar came out of the trees behind her, throwing trees to the side with its' tusks. "What in the hell is that?!"

Link was on his horse and urging it forward as Duske did the same, leaving Mora to scramble onto her horse. "Duske, Link… meet Demise." Mora let out a panicked laugh as she kicked her horse into a gallop, leaving them behind.

The three burst from the forest in a flurry as they raced down the road, the boar hard on their heels. They blew by a pair of travelers who let out screams and dodged out of the way of the boar, guiding it towards the Hyrule Plains. Duske started to turn towards the plains when Mora started to turn in another direction. "Where are you going?!"

Mora didn't respond, her heart was racing too fast and she felt like if she were to open her mouth, she would get sick. She pushed her horse harder and the mare listened eagerly. The horse broke from Link and Duske, causing the boar to veer off after her.

Duske slowed his horse, watching the boar chase Mora. "Link… I don't know if I'm crazy, but that boar… is it-"

"Herding her." Link slowed down next to Duske, his attention peeked on the boar, seeing how it would come up on one side of Mora, forcing her towards the plains and if she turned too sharp, it would correct her. "Where is it taking her?"

"I'm not sure, but I need you to go get Zelda, as quick as you can. I'll keep an eye on Mora and this thing." Duske pushed his horse onward, trotting behind Mora and the boar made of malice.

Link watched for a moment before turning towards the castle. It didn't take him long of pushing his poor horse to her limits, she stomped at him once they got to the castle, his hands going up after he handed her off. "I'm sorry, Epona. I had to get here as son as possible, you know that!"

He couldn't help the smile on his lips when the mare huffed at him as he ran off into the castle. The fighter looked around the castle, searching the small crowds of workers and soldiers for his Queen. He frowned and marched forward, taking in a deep breath as he let out a shout. "Zelda!? Zelda!"

Zelda emerged from a hall a few minutes later, her blue eyes wide on the Hero. "Link! Why are you shouting?!" She froze though, once she was closer to him, seeing the fabled sword perched on his back. "Is that?"

"We have a problem."

Zelda was on her pure white horse next to Duske and Link, a Sheikah standing next to them as well. "What is going on? You say it hasn't attacked her?"

"No. It keeps trying to herd her towards the fountain." Duske watched as Mora and her horse broke away from the beast, going away from the fountain and towards the far end of the field. "I don't understand."

"My Queen. We can get The Power and the Guardians here; we can fight off this monster." The Sheikah held up a slate, their fingers hovering over a glowing object in the middle. "It will only take a few moments."

"We don't really have a choice, do we?" Zelda sat up, pulling her shoulders back. "Go get the Divine Beasts and Ganondorf. I don't know how-" Before Zelda could say any more, the Sheikah guard was gone in a stream of blue. "… this fight will go…" She glanced to Link and Duske who gawked at where the Sheikah had just been. "I'm sure it will take time to get the Divine Beasts here, they're big. Too big to move quickly."

Ganondorf was sitting next to Eabim, stroking her hair as she wheezed in her bed. She was getting worse by the day; Gan was surprised she was lasting this long. She was a shell of the strong woman she had been a few months ago. "Ubo said that her Divine Beast was finished a few days ago. I hope we never have to test it out." He let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "The Sheikah made it a camel. I've heard the Zora's is an elephant."

Eabim gave a weak smile, her once vivid green eyes were dull now, but she was still alive enough to smile at him. Her smile faded though when Biana came up to the room. "My Queen, my King. I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a visitor."

Ganondorf slowly stood, his fingers leaving his mothers' coarse hair. "Who?"

"A Sheikah, they're waiting just outside the city. They say they need power and the Divine Beast." Biana flinched when Gan easily breezed by her, she glanced to Eabim who had closed her eyes and gave a weak sigh. But her smile was back, small; but there it was. Biana bowed her head and turned, leaving her sister alone in her room. "Gan! I ask you to not rush into things. That Sheikah, they just… appeared-"

"That's their technology." He paused just inside the throne room, turning to Biana. "Go get Ubo, if the need to Divine Beast, they'll need her to pilot it."

"I've always wondered, why was Ubo picked to pilot it?"

"Because she has the strongest spirit of the Gerudo. And I trust her to pilot it without questioning herself." Gan returned to his task of going to his room and changing into his armor.

Mora gasped when the beast turned quickly, causing her horse to turn to sharp, spilling the two of them onto the ground. She jumped up, watching as her horse broke free and ran to safety. "Dammit." She turned her attention to the beast that loomed over her, slowly moving over to her.

**I need you alive for just a little while longer, don't make me force my hand.**

Mora flinched at the way Demise's voice growled at her. She stood her ground, hands balled into fists at her side as her heart thundered in her chest. "I've fought you off too many times to count, Demise! I can keep doing it!"

**You have just woken up from a slumber, like a princess awaiting true loves first kiss,** the dark voice purred, mocking her. **You are much weaker than you think, Princess.**

"I am not! I will fight…" Mora felt her knees give out as a calmness washed over her. "I have to fight…" She felt her body move without her consent, she could feel the darkness running through her veins, making her limbs heavy. "I can't…"

Gan flinched when he and Ubo appeared on the Divine Beast Vah Naboris. He looked up at the beast, frowning at it before glancing to Ubo. "Are you ready?"

"I have to be." Ubo smiled back at her King as she disappeared into the beast.

Gan looked at the Sheikah, frowning at them. "I guess we're ready."

"That we are." The Sheikah bowed to Ganondorf before pressing a button on the slate, causing them to disappear into a stream of bright blue.

When Ganondorf opened his eyes again, he was standing in Hyrule field next to Link and Zelda. He glanced around, seeing the fear on their faces. "Does anyone want to get me up to speed?"

As he spoke the ground shook, causing the Gerudo King to jump back. He watched as towers rose from the ground around the castle. "Queen Zelda." Gan hissed, flinching again when another blue stream appeared next to him and Najida appeared next to him, ready in her armor.

"I'm sorry to bring you all here like this. But we need your help." Zelda stepped up, turning to the small group that appeared on that field. "The Sheikah and the Zonai are coming, but in the end, it is up to Link, Ganondorf, and myself to finish off this beast." Ganondorf looked around, not seeing Mora in this small group. He turned to Zelda, frowning at her. The Queen saw the frown and looked away, unable to meet his eyes as she spoke. "The Divine Beasts are in place, the Guardians are moving in-"

"Forgive me, my Queen. But I don't see anything that we need to fight." Najida frowned, watching as a lean man came up from somewhere behind her. She couldn't see his face as it was covered with a piece of cloth that bore the symbol of the Sheikah.

"Young Zonai, forgive us for not being outright with you." The man spoke, bowing deeply to her. "I am Maz Koshia, a monk for the Sheikah," There was a bite to the tone of his voice, letting Najida know that he wasn't happy that she interrupted the Queen.

Zelda reached out, gently touching the mans arm. "Let me finish, then you can bite whoever's head off that you please." Zelda tucked her arms around her belly, frowning at the people that stood before her. "My daughter, Mora, went with Captain Duske and Hero Link to find the Master Sword, they did so. And they also freed Demise. Who is now holding my daughter, I don't know if we will have to fight this darkness just yet, but I want all of you here, ready for the fight… if that is what it comes down to."

A sharp noise left someone nearby, causing everyone to turn and look. A large pillar of malice shot up to the sky, billowing out into a cloud like thing high into the sky. Ganondorf started moving first, his eyes locked on the area where the pillar connected to the ground. He let out a high-pitched whistle, a blue stream running next to him as his horse slowly formed, a bizarre looking armor clung to the large beasts body. Gan jumped on the large beast, not losing momentum as he raced towards where the malice formed.

"Ganondorf!" Zelda gasped, watching as Link took off on his own horse after the Gerudo King, a few Guardians running after them. Najida came up next to Zelda, motioning towards Duske and the two other horses. "Najida-"

"The Sheikah have blessed much of Hyrule with new technology, I didn't think I'd ever see a day where you could whistle and summon your horse to your side." The Zonai warrior smirked and climbed onto Zelda's horse, laughing a bit when she received a glare from the Queen. "Hey, you can ride with Duske. It's less awkward for all of us. Unless you want to ride with me."

Zelda huffed and let Duske help her onto the horse behind Najida. "I swear, if I could live this lifetime over again, I might change a few things."

"Like naming your daughter Zelda." Najida cast a quick glare back at Zelda.

Zelda scrunched her face and shrugged. "Yes, that might be one thing I would change." The two women came up to the rest of the group, watching as Ganondorf now paced around, trying to find a good opening through a swarm of monsters that seemed to appear from clouds of malice that hit the ground. "Why are the guardians not attacking?"

"We haven't given them the freedom to do so, my Queen." Maz Koshia was standing next to them, a smirk in his deep voice as he walked around the people standing with them. As he moved, he moved his hands through the air, a blue magic flowing from his fingertips. The magic quickly covered his body, and then in the blink of an eye; there was six Maz Koshia's.

Gan smirked and pulled the trident off his back while other monks came up and joined them. The Gerudo King took pause though when a raindrop hit his sharp nose. He looked up, seeing clouds moving in over them, casting them in gloom. "Maz Koshia-"

"You and the other two need to get to the Princess, that is all that matters." The monk lashed out, taking out two monsters that were several feet away from them.

Gan flinched and gawked at the monk. "Remind me to never anger you."

"Bless me with a hearty fight, my King. One day." Maz Koshia turned, letting Gan catch a quick glance behind the cloth that covered the monks face. What Gan saw had him stepping back, Maz Koshia had no eyes and his mouth was sewn shut.

Gan gave the monk a bow before climbing onto his horse again, looking back and seeing Link nearby. "Get Zelda, we have to make it to Mora."

Link had Zelda on his horse, easily following the path that Ganondorf was eagerly making for them in the ocean of monsters. "Remind me that I never want to fight the Gerudo King." Link teased to his queen as the rode through the path.

"Link, something isn't sitting right with me. I have a bad feeling." She wrapped her arms tighter around his torso, whispering a soft prayer to the Goddesses for everyone to return home safely.

"I understand. But no matter what, I won't let anything happen to you. Or Mora." Link gave her hands a pat, trying to reassure her.

"This is as close as we can get." Ganondorf called back, twisting around in his saddle to look back at the two. When they came up next to him, he turned back and scanned the area in front of them for any signs of Mora. He slowly got off his horse, watching as the malice over his head slowly formed into a beast. It seemed to struggle as it formed, pulling itself from it's prison of darkness in the sky. The beast came crashing to the ground, rocking to its' legs and looking at the three that stood before it. It let out a roar, shaking its' incomplete body as malice flung off of its' skin.

Princess Zelda stood on the balcony overlooking the field, her blue eyes taking in the way the guardians fought back monsters while Link and Ganondorf protected her mother from the large beast. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing her father watching from the doorway, a deep frown on his face. "Why are you not down there, father?"

"I was never one for battle." Corro stepped up next to his daughter, watching the fighting going on in the fields. "I'm surprised that its' happening this quickly. Your mother didn't think it would come down to this so quickly."

"It's a good thing that the Sheikah are on our side, right?"

"Until the aren't. The Sheikah are powerful and dangerous. I fear what will happen after this battle, my daughter. The Sheikah could turn on us, try to suppress us."

"Do you really think that they would do that?"

"If they don't, the Gerudo will. We have to do something about their king before it's too late."

Gan and Link traded blows with the large beast. Gan lashed out, striking a thick leg with his trident. Malice spurt forth, causing the beast to jump away with a scream. Link dove in, the Master Sword gliding down the monsters side. More Malice.

Zelda watched from the edge of their fight, looking for more openings. She saw a large eye open on the beasts forehead, bright yellow and angry. "Li-"

"Link! Gan!"

The shout came from behind the Queen. The woman whirled around, watching as Mora came up on her horse. The girl had a bow in hand but no arrows. But the bow was different than any other that Zelda had seen. It glowed almost a pure white, pulsing a strong magic that Zelda could feel even at this distance. "Get back!"

Link and Gan dove away from the beast as Mora rushed it, pulling the string back. Then out of thin air, a light gathered and formed an arrow. "Farosh guide my arrow!" Mora screamed as she let the arrow loose. At the same time, four beams of blue struck the beast, pinning it to the spot that it stood.

The arrow connected with the eye, causing the beast to scream out in pain again. Mora turned hard, leaving the three alone for a moment before circling back around. Link watched as the blue lights exploded, but it didn't seem to do anything to the monster in front of him besides push him around.

Then the beast turned to Zelda, a loud noise leaving it as it charged at the queen. Link ran out in front of the monster before it got to Zelda, lashing out with the legendary sword.

Princess Zelda gasped; her attention pulled from the fight below as three beasts circled in the sky above the fight. "Father!"

Corro looked to where his daughter pointed, but he saw nothing. Zelda watched as Farosh, the green dragon let out a cry of pain and dropped some. The other two circled around more, pressing to either side of Farosh and helping it back up higher into the sky. A ball of malice struck Naydra, causing the dragon to twist away from the other two. It cried out before disappearing from sight.

Queen Zelda grabbed Link's shoulders, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held his head in her lap. "No, no, no. Link. Please!"

Ganondorf rolled away from blows from the beast, his eyes going to where the Master Sword lay on the ground near Zelda and Link. He glanced back in time to see Mora release another arrow. He dove beneath the beast and grabbed the sword. He let out a hiss, nearly dropping the sword as it burned his hand. "Zelda!"

Zelda turned her attention back to Gan, her sight blurry thanks to tears. "G-Ganondorf?"

"I need you to get ready. We'll tend to Link once we finish this thing!"

Zelda leaned down, kissing Link on the forehead before she got up. Her hand burned as the Triforce of Wisdom glowed on her hand. She glanced down at it, back at Link, then back at the beast. She watched as Gan finally dropped the Master Sword, hissing in pain from holding it. "What's wrong?"

"It burns to touch the damn thing!"

Mora jumped off her horse, watching as it retreated for a moment. She walked over to Zelda and Ganondorf as the beast scraped its' claws against the ground, ready to attack them. She reached down, picking the blade up. A gasp left her; she could feel it taking from her. She fell to her knees, struggling to catch her breath. She couldn't let go of the blade; her body felt too weak to do even that.

Gan went to grab Mora when Zelda caught his wrist, stopping him. "Give her a moment. She'll be fine."

Gan stared at the Queen, his eyes narrowing. "You can't be serious?"

As soon as the pain had rushed onto her, it went away the same. Mora panted as she stared at the blade, awe in her eyes as she slowly stood. "I'm fine." She looked back to Gan, giving him a smile. "Let's finish him off."

Zelda watched Mora and Gan step forward, a sadness in her eyes. She glanced back at Link again, trying to ignore the large gash along his side the seeped his life's essence. She held a hand up, a power wrapping around her. "Strike the finishing blow, I will be ready for you."

Corro and Princess Zelda watched as a bright light lit up the battlefield. Once the light was gone a few moments later, the battlefield was bare of any monsters. There was no more beast. Corro leaned in, his dark eyes wide as he tried his best to examine the battlefield as rain came down. He grabbed his daughter by the shoulders, giving her a firm shake. "My child, you must listen to me. Trust no one, not even your mother. She wishes to put that other girl on the throne and take it from you."

Zelda stared up at her father, her eyes going wide as he spun a tale about the Sheikah and her mother. About the Gerudo and her sister. "Papa…"

"We must stay strong, my child. Where one fight ends, the real one begins."


	25. Mourning R18

All characters represented in this chapter are of consenting age. This chapter might have some bits that are triggering so I'll leave a warning here;;

also I'll be posting a new chapter shortly (fingers crossed) so if you don't want to read horribly written smut you can soon skip over it! (yay!)

also, again, thank you guys for continuing to read this. The end is near, I just hope you guys will stick around and finish this out with me.

Much love,  
Chika

* * *

Zelda ran over to Link once the light was gone, her hands shaking as she reached out and touched his face. "Link! Link, c'mon! You can't leave me like this."

Mora and Gan stared in awe, mostly blinded by the bright light that came from Zelda. Mora stumbled back, landing on her ass as she let out a hard sob. For the first time in months… in an entire year, her mind was her own. No whispers. No plotting. She blinked away the spots in her vision as she could see again. "Gan?"

Gan was standing over Zelda, almost protectively as she cried out for her warrior. "That was too easy."

"Easy or not… he's not here anymore." Zelda leaned back, unsure what was tears and what was rain on Link's cheeks. "And so is Link. That wasn't… how it was supposed to happen."

"How did it happen? I don't remember seeing him take a blow that could deal a wound like that." Gan frowned as he crossed his arms, trying to remember what happened.

"It was when Mora came in, Calamity Ganon turned to me and Link got in the way… one of the monsters tusks got him from behind." Zelda watched as a few Sheikah came over, looking over their fallen brother and then up at the three that took care of the evil. "Maz Koshia…"

Maz Koshia came up, frowning down at Zelda then at Ganondorf. "No offense to the Princess, but you know the people will not take well to their Hero falling. And a woman taking his place as the Hero won't look good either."

"I am not-"

"Look at what you wield before you start shouting lies."

Mora froze, looking down at her hands before dropping the sword of legend. "I…" She crossed her arms under her chest, looking away from the master monk. "Then make Gan the Hero, he dealt the final blow. I didn't do anything."

"That's bullshit. Why can't Mora take claim to wielding the Sword?" Gan barked, looking down his nose at the Sheikah Monk.

"You come from a simple village that prides themselves on the accomplishments of women." Maz Koshia spoke, his tone sharp. "Hylians are a much simpler folk. The only woman that can be seen taking on evil is Zelda, the Triforce of Wisdom. That is how it always has been, and how it always will be."

Gan started to argue again when he felt Mora's hand on his wrist. "It's okay, really. I don't want to be in the spotlight anyways. Besides, this will be good for you." She gave him a warm smile, glancing to Zelda who was still watching over Link. "Zelda…" She grabbed the Queen's wrist, gently pulling her away from the others. "Can I go back to Gerudo Village, I want-"

"I think that is a perfect idea." Zelda whispered, cupping her daughters cheeks and kissing her forehead. "It will give me time to get things ready here, you and Ganondorf will come back in two days' time and we'll celebrate."

* * *

Ganondorf looked over at Mora who was standing quietly next to him, staring up at the gate for Gerudo village. "Are you going to be alright?"

"No… I don't think so. How can we just graze over the fact that Link is dead? How can we ignore how…_ easy _that fight was? There's no way Demise is gone. Not like that." Mora turned on Gan, tears in her eyes. "He's up to something. I just know it."

Gan frowned at her as he reached over, gently brushing a thumb over her cheek. "Mora…" He reached down, carefully taking her hand in his own. "Come, you've had a rough year and a half." He led her by the guards that were watching them, through the courtyard and up the stairs to the palace.

Mora followed him into the palace, glancing back and looking to the village that was behind her now. Her eyes wandered to the houses to the right of the palace, easily seeing the roof of her old home. She looked back towards Gan, seeing him standing just inside the threshold, waiting for her.

Gan watched as wind blew in, catching her long hair, whipping it around her shoulders and face. He could see the tears building in her eyes, he gave her a warm smile before moving to her. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to his quarters where he set her down on the bed. He started to say something when his words left him, leaving him with his mouth slightly parted.

Mora watched as he turned away from her and went to look out the window. Mora wasn't sure what to say to him, just like he didn't know what to say to her. She got up, her heart in her throat as she slammed her fists down to her sides. "What I don't understand is why _me_?! Why do I have to magically grow up by two years?! Why did Demise use me?! Are we supposed to ignore how easy that battle was!?"

As Mora spoke, Gan walked around her, his arms wrapping around her torso as he held her close. He gently moved her hair away from her shoulders before sliding his hands down her arms and sides, feeling the soft muscle that was there. Gan made small noises to let her know he was still listening to her frustrations as he pressed his nose to her hair, breathing her in. His body relaxed at her scent. She was here, safe and sound in his arms. Angry. But here she was.

His lips were soft on the side of her neck as she slowly melted back into him, her chin tipping up to give him more of her neck. Gan could feel the tension leave her shoulders, could hear the gentle sighs that left her lips, her voice calmed down as he touched her. Careful fingers found the ties that held her pants tight at her hips, kept him from feeling the soft skin just beneath.

Knees buckled when teeth nibbled her ear, a soft noise left her lips when calloused hands ran across her now bare hips. "Gan…"

"Say my name like that again… and I'm not responsible for what happens next." The way his voice sounded wasn't normal. It was rough with desire, husky with his needs.

Mora could feel her cheeks warm as she grabbed the hand that was on her hip. The sneak behind her had loosened the ties at her hips, his fingers shifting just inside the hem of her pants. She bit her lip when he let out a noise as she guided his hand lower, pausing at her pelvic bone.

"You should eat more." Gan whispered, chuckling when he got a growl in return to his comment. Though that growl turned into whimpers when his fingers slid over her warmth, her whole body lurched when he touched her, sending sparks from her core to the tip of her nose. He kissed up and down her neck more as she started grinding against his hand. He tipped his head, sucking on the tip of her ear as his fingers rolled over her clit, making her knees buckle once again. The noises she made had him shivering and nipping along her jaw.

Mora was leaning into the hard body behind her, whimpering and bucking her hips in rhythm with his fingers. She quickly covered her mouth when a thick finger pressed through all of her defenses. Gan grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands away from her mouth. "I don't think so."

Mora let out a breathy moan, only to sing for her King behind her when a second finger slid into her warmth. Her hands grabbed his wrist when he let her wrists go to hold her up by wrapping his fingers around her neck. Her nails bit into his tan skin, struggling to think straight when the heel of his hand pressed against her clit as his fingers slid in and out of her.

The girl in his hold turned, causing Gan's fingers to slip from her. The two kissed, wild and passionate, tongues fighting for an unspoken dominance. Gan pushed Mora back to the bed, watching her fall back. There was a hunger in his eyes as he grabbed Mora's hips, yanking her to the edge. She let out a soft sigh when he started kissing along her thighs, but the sighs and whimpers quickly turned into moans as his fingers pumped in and out of her.

Gan slid up her body, grinding his hips against hers. He watched as she reached up, desperately clawing at the leather strap that held his armor on still. He smirked and leaned back, grabbing the strap on either side of the buckle. He gave a hard yank and the leather snapped much easier than Mora thought it would.

Her slender fingers began working on the sash at his hips, a shaky breath leaving her when her fingers brushed over his hard cock. She could see him shudder at her touch, a rough sigh leaving his throat as he tried to control his wandering mind. Gan shifted his hips as he leaned over Mora, groaning when her hand wrapped around his length, slowly stroking up and down, squeezing ever so slightly when she focused on his head. "Mora… I can't…"

Mora wiggled her hips and wrapped her legs around his strong hips. "You can do whatever you want." Her voice was a soft purr, drunk with desire for him.

Gan looked down at Mora, licking his lips as he reached down between their bodies. He rubbed the head of his cock against her wet slit before pushing into her, stretching her with each slow pump of his hips.

Mora's back arched and a slow moan left her. Her fingers dug into the sheets beneath her as she panted with each thrust that pushed her right back into the bed. She moaned his name over and over, her body tensing around his. His cheek brushed against hers as pleasure began to overwhelm him, his thrusts were rough but slow.

Mora could feel him stretching her, she tried to relax herself, but this feeling was so foreign to her. It was painful but… pleasurable too. Her arms wrapped around his torso, her nails biting down into the taut skin over his shoulder blades. His lips found a weak spot just beneath her ear that had her melting beneath him as he softly sucked and nipped. "That's it…" Gan let out a groan, giving a quick thrust that had his hips flush to hers.

His large hand groped at her breast, squeezing it as he thrust roughly, easily slipping in and out of her from how wet she was. He tipped his chin, catching a sensitive nipple between his lips; earning himself a moan that had her arching her back again, pushing her breasts against his face more. He smirked while taking a mouthful of her plush bosom, sucking crudely while she moaned louder for him.

His hips stuttered when he felt her cavern seize around his cock. He let go of her breast, kissing up her throat and jaw to her soft lips where he kissed her. Sloppily so. "You aren't giving in so quick, are you?" He purred, wrapping an arm under her lower back, pulling her up into his lap so he could drive his cock harder into her.

Mora writhed beneath him, her eyes rolling back while her fingers groped the sheets and pillows for something to hold onto. "I-I…! Gan!" She gritted her teeth, the feeling of him slamming into her was too much for her to handle, it felt so good to finally feel him stretching her to fit him. One hand found hold in the sheets while the other found her own breast, giving it a squeeze as she came for him. Her walls spasmed and clenched hard on him, all but causing him to lose himself inside of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck when he collapsed down on her, panting her name. His hips still moved, small little spurts as he tried to stay sane. "I love you, Gan."

"I know." Ganondorf let out a playfully growl when he felt her push her hips up. He rolled over, pulling her with him so she was perched on him. His head lulled back when she bucked her hips, bringing his cock back to life. "Mora…"

Mora purred and rode his cock, squeezing her legs against his hips. "Something wrong?"

"You didn't get your fill already?" His deep green eyes followed her hand, watching as she reached between them. She brought her fingers to her lips, licking their juices from the tips.

"I will never get my fill of you."

* * *

The next morning, Mora's eyes slowly opened. She saw Ganondorf sound asleep next to her, snoring the morning away. She started to move when her whole body screamed at her to not move another centimeter. She went limp in the bed, rubbing her hips to try and relax them. She let out a harsh noise as she finally forced herself up out of the bed, glancing back at Gan to see if she woke him, but he stayed snoring softly.

She glanced around the room, seeing her clothes from the day before. She grabbed them, yanking them over her body as quick as her sore muscles would allow. She walked over to the window, seeing the village spanning out in front of the window. Her eyes found the building she grew up in, the place that she once held happy memories.

With a glance back at Gan who was still sound asleep, Mora slipped out of the room and palace. Her body ached as she made her way through the pre-dawn candle lit streets. If she had to guess, the guards had just done one last patrol and were getting ready for changing of shift. Her feet stopped moving in front of the small house, the young Hylian forced back whatever emotion that threatened to keep her from passing over the threshold when a wave of incense hit her nose.

It didn't make sense for someone to be burning incense like this. The Gerudo only used incense to ward off death, not for mourning. Mora rubbed her eyes, trying to rid herself of the tears that blurred her vision as she stepped into her old home. She would fix the incense, surely she could find some sage-

All of the thoughts that had been going through her head came to a halt as her blood ran cold in her veins. "Momma…?" Mora barely caught herself on the door frame when she saw the deathly thin woman lying in the bed that now took up the visiting room.

Mora stumbled again before crumbling to hands and knees, she crawled to the bedside, her fingers hovered over the brittle skin of Nikesa's sunken cheeks. "Oh… Niladi… what happened to you?" She frowned when chunks of dull red hair broke off at her touch.

"We were asked to save the body."

"Just the body. The King said naught of the soul."

Mora whirled around at the voices behind her. Anger fueled her to stand, hatred fueled the fire in her voice. "I've seen you before. Demise showed me in that room, he showed me how a mindless beast came into a world where it wasn't meant to be. You tried to anchor him to Ganondorf. More than once."

The women grinned at Mora, one had hair as white as snow while the other had hair so red it almost looked like fire in the candlelight. "So, you know who we are?"

"You…" Mora lifted her chin, her lip lifted in a quiet snarl. "The wheels of fate have already started spinning, it is too late to stop it." The words that scared her before now rolled off her tongue like honey, dripping with something stronger than hatred.

The two women slowly backed away as Mora advanced on them. "The girl remembers us, dear sister." The one with snow white hair giggled, a wicked grin on her lips.

"I would expect no less from the Queen of Death." The red head giggled back, keeping her blazing red eyes on the Hylian.

"I am not… I am _not_!" Mora lunged, rolling when she hit the floor where the snow haired woman should have been, growling when she saw a single woman standing over her, covered in red and teal robes, a red and blue gem sitting at the base of her throat. "Get out…" She lunged again, pushing the woman towards the door. "Get…**out**!"

Mora returned the dark look she got from the old witch as the woman disappeared. "Your time will come… and all that you love will turn to ash… slipping through your fingertips…" The old voice whispered on the wind, leaving Mora alone and trembling. Mora slowly turned, going back to Nikesa's side.

She sat next to the woman for what felt like an eternity, carefully brushing out the crimson locks, feeling the shallow gasps for life on her wrists. She leaned down, kissing Nikesa on the forehead as tears slid down Mora's cheeks. Nikesa would have never wanted to live like this. It was the belief of a true Gerudo warrior that dying in battle was the best way to die. There was no higher honor.

Shaky fingers grasped a pillow nearby, a hard sob of choked tears only brought more as the young Hylian climbed onto the bed, straddling the husk of a once strong warrior. "És… sun bi… niladi…"

The body beneath Mora spasmed, a sharp nail caught Mora on the leg as she struggled for another eternity to hold that pillow down. Her sobbing and wailing didn't help her any as she struggled. Before she knew it though, strong arms were wrapped around her, pulling her from her mother's stilled body. Gan cooed softly in her ear, softly pleading with her to calm herself.

She struggled in his hold, she didn't deserve this kindness, she didn't deserve his soft words of assurance. He shouldn't be the one begging forgiveness. He didn't do the unspeakable. He only did what he thought best.

* * *

"És sun bi, niladi" roughly translates to "I love you, mother."


	26. Honeyed Apples

Gan watched the flames lick at the pyre where Nikesa's body lay. He pulled his eyes away from the flames, seeing Mora on the other side of them. She had been a shell the last two days. He understood why, but it hurt to see her in pain like this. Slowly, the Gerudo women moved to Mora, touching her arms and shoulders, the top of her head and her cheeks as they tried to offer condolences. None of their words reached her though.

Before too long, the fire was gone and Mora and Ganondorf were the only two left standing out in the dry morning air. Gan would have someone come finish this out so Mora wouldn't have to worry about any of those small details. He walked around the rubble and pulled her against him, his face pressed to her hair. Her arms wrapped around his torso as she slowly began to shudder from holding back tears. He stayed quiet so she could have her moment to mourn.

Mora slowly pulled back, rubbing her eyes as she grabbed one of his hands; she let him lead the way back to the village, glancing back once more. A silent prayer left her lips as she looked up at the sky, the suns rays peaking up over the mountains that surrounded the vast desert.

* * *

Mora watched as Gan pulled his armor on, not struggling near as much as he used to with the straps and buckles. She got up and slipped from the room, the skirt of her satin dress flowing around her legs. They would use the slate the Sheikah gave them to go to the castle without the hassle of a long journey, but until Gan was ready, Mora was stuck in the eerie silence in her mind. She never thought she'd miss Demise hissing about random things in her head, but in an odd way, she did. Now she was alone to make snarky comments about how the drapes had faded due to the sun and no longer matched the rugs that led to the throne.

"So, you come to visit a dying woman?"

Mora paused in the doorway, frowning at the woman who lay cripple in the bed before her. Eabim still had a fire in her eyes, it was dulling the same way her skin was a sickly gray instead of the beautiful bronze she had been months ago. "You're still holding on; you'll pull through this."

Eabim let out a laugh and shook her head. She gave her lap a pat, a twisted grin on her face. "My legs don't work; my fingers barely curl, and my hair is gone. Food tastes like sand, and water burns my throat. Our doctor and the Royal Hylian doctor are both surprised I've held on for so long."

"How long is so long?"

"Six months? Give or take." Eabim leaned her head back against the headboard of the bed, frowning at the ceiling. "The Royal doctor said it reminded him of when your grandmother became sick, but hers went quicker."

"My grandmother?" Mora finally stepped into the room, stopping at the foot of the bed as she watched Eabim.

"The Queen before your birth mother, Queen Zelda." Eabim raised a brow as she carefully pat the bed next to her. "Her legs gave out on her first, then… two days later she just… stopped breathing. They still don't know what exactly happened to her."

Mora sat next to Eabim, being careful to not sit on Eabim. "Do you feel sick?"

"I feel empty. Not sick. I feel like my body is being attacked, but I don't know." Eabim motioned to the bottle next to her bedside. "Care to share a glass?"

"Isn't that Hylian wine?" Mora raised a brow, a small smile on her lips. "Where did you get that?"

"Good eye, child. I got that from Zelda and Corro when we met with them earlier this year. I've always had a soft spot for the Hylian wine, it's bitter where our ale is sweet."

"Maybe that's where you get your bitterness." Mora laughed, smiling more when Eabim let out a hoarse laugh. "I'll pass on a glass for myself, but I'll pour you a glass."

"I'd like that." Eabim looked around for a moment, shaking her head. "I thought I had some ale in here too. I guess not."

"Oh." Mora leaned down, picking a dark bottle up from the floor; she held it up with a shrug. "Got knocked off somehow." She poured Eabim a glass of her wine, her nose scrunching at the scent that came from the bottle. "How in the world do you drink that?"

Eabim took the glass when Mora offered it, shrugging some. "I have to keep myself bitter somehow." The two grinned at each other, clanking glasses when Mora had herself a glass of ale. "Mora, do me a favor… protect my son."

"Protect him?" Mora took a sip of the ale while Eabim drank from her glass. "I'm sure he can-"

"From himself. I worry about him, and you seem to be the rock that can tie him down and keep his head out of the clouds." Eabim stared down into the dark liquid in her glass, frowning some. "They say when you are close to death, you start seeing things that make you desperate. I keep seeing him, a proud King. And then darkness. And then your eyes haunt me in that darkness." Eabim met Mora's eyes, narrowing her own at the young girl. "Promise me, you won't let anything bad happen to him. Do what you can to keep people like Corro from hurting my son."

Mora watched as Eabim tossed her head back and finished her glass off. The proud Gerudo Queen turned her head, looking out the window as if she was done with that conversation. She quietly finished her ale and took the glass from Eabim, setting both down on the table next to the bed before getting up and walking towards the door. "Thank you, Eabim. For protecting me."

Eabim turned her head, giving Mora a sharp look. "I only did what I thought was best for my people."

Mora returned the look she got, her eyes narrowing some. "That's always the case."

* * *

Gan rolled his shoulders as he put the slate on his hip, frowning as the last of the teleportation jitters left his body. He let out a low whistle, a blue light appearing next to him that slowly turned into his beast of a horse.

Mora did the same, her smaller mare slowly appearing next to her. The two horses had weird Sheikah armor on them that allowed them to appear wherever Gan and Mora needed them with a whistle. "I don't understand how this magic works."

"Neither do I. If it's even magic at all." Gan helped mora onto her horse, giving her a warm smile as she climbed up onto her horse. "Thank you for coming with me, Mora."

"I didn't have much of a choice, Gan." Mora situated herself on the saddle, so her legs hung off one side. She pushed a stray hair back from her face, glancing at Gan as he got onto his horse. They had done their hair in matching braids that were pulled back before cascading down their backs. "Do you think people will notice?"

"I'm sure only the people that matter will, and by that, I mean Zelda and the other leaders. I don't know what they'll say, if they say anything at all. But, what do we care? You've been living with the Gerudo for the entirety of your life so of course you'd wear your hair in Gerudo braids." There was a sly smile on Gan's lips as they began riding away from where they landed, the castle looming over them. "Perhaps they'll take it to mean that you're to be my Queen."

Mora rolled her eyes as she tried to give him a playful smile. "Would you stop with that? I can't be your queen, you need a Gerudo to be at your side. Besides, I'll be stuck at the castle for the rest of my life, wasting away."

"Then I guess I'll just have to come save the princess from the evil monsters that lurk in those stone walls."

"Ha. Right, more like I'll be saving you from the monsters out in the real world."

The closer the two got to Castle Town, the more common folk that lined the streets. They all cheered for Ganondorf, tossing flowers at him and thanking him for saving their lives. "What… did I do?" Gan caught a flower, his eyes wide as he looked to Mora.

"You saved them, you defeated Demise with the Queen." Mora smiled at Gan, seeing it click in his eyes. "You're a hero, Gan." She couldn't help herself as she smiled more, she watched the weight of Gan's fate lift from his shoulders. He was no longer the cursed Gerudo male. He was to be the Hero. Not the villain.

* * *

Guards escorted them through Castle Town once they got there, making sure the people didn't get too close. The two looked around, seeing that in just two short days, the town had been decorated in a swirl of reds and blues with the Hylian symbol flying high and the Gerudo symbol at the same height. "I never thought I'd see the day where the Gerudo symbol would be welcome in Hyrule." Gan leaned closer to Mora so she could hear him over the shouting of people.

"It's not like the Gerudo and Hylians are at odds, Gan. It isn't that hard to imagine."

"In a way it is. Ever since I was born, mother always told me about how the Hylian's began to hold us Gerudo at an arm's length away." Gan slowed his horse when they finally made it to the castle, his smile fading as he stared up at it.

* * *

"Welcome, my Hero." Zelda held her hand out to Gan, a pleasant smile on her lips when he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Thank you for coming back to celebrate with us."

"Of course, it's my honor." Gan stood up straight, looking down at the Hylians around him. He felt like a giant amongst them, they were all so short compared to him. The sheer height difference had some of the help that was running around stopping to gawk at the beast of a man that stood in their home.

He leaned down and did the same to Princess Zelda, giving her a warm smile. "I'm glad you're safe and sound, Princess."

"Thank you, my King." The princess gave him a well-practiced curtsey. "If it wasn't for you, then we would all still be in danger."

Mora watched from the side, keeping a close eye on the man that stood behind the Queen and Princess. If looks could kill, Corro would have killed Ganondorf ten times over. He wasn't happy that they were honoring Ganondorf for his bravery in fighting off Demise with the Queen. "Mother, sister. We brought Gerudo ale and treats with us." Mora stepped forward, dipping her head to the two of them.

"Oh! Mother has told me about a sweet the Gerudo make, it's a… a uhm…" The princess scratched her temple, trying to remember what item she was thinking of.

"The nutcake. We were instructed that that was a must to bring." Mora laughed and pulled a small bundle from her pouch, handing it off to her half-sister. "Teaka made it just this morning."

"It's still warm!" The young girl gasped as she unwrapped her gift, her eyes sparkling when she saw the delicious looking cake. "Mother, may I?"

Zelda laughed and kissed the top of her daughters head, nodding to her. "Of course, Zel. While it's still warm."

Zel eagerly bit into the cake, a soft noise leaving her as her body relaxed. "Vis is svooo good! Shfank ooo svitter."

"A princess does _not_ eat with her mouth full!" Zelda gasped, gawking at her youngest. "Apologize!" She put a hand up, immediately stopping her daughter from saying anymore. "After you finish that bite!"

Ganondorf let out a laugh and pulled a bottle from his pouch, handing it to Corro. "Some ale, we know you prefer the Hylian wine, but in case you get the taste for it."

"I've been meaning to ask, how is your mother doing. We never got an update after your initial letter telling us she was ill." Corro took the bottle but thrust it into the arms of a passing serf, smiling at Gan who watched the now confused servant.

"She is doing well; the doctor thinks she might recover. Just… without the use of her legs." Mora piped up before Gan could say anything. She gave a warm smile when Corro flinched, surprise flashing on his face before it was quickly replaced with a new smile. "She sends her condolences for not being able to join us."

"Oh, that's wonderful news!" Zelda grabbed her eldest daughters hands, clutching them tight. "Gan, when you go home, please give her a hug from myself. I do miss her."

Gan was watching Mora with a careful demeanor, wondering why she would lie to the King and Queen. "I'll do just that, my Queen."

"Who is ready for the festivities to begin?" Zelda clapped, summoning a handful of servants with just one clap of her hands. "Today we mourn the loss of Link, but we also celebrate the fall of Demise."

* * *

The day went by faster than Mora and Ganondorf thought it would have. Zelda had kept pulling Mora away from Gan to talk to her and get things ready for her to come stay in the castle while guards would come up to Gan and talk to him about his fighting style. Halfway through the day the other domains had come and joined in on the festivities, the Zonai had surprised them all and joined closer to the end of the day when the feast had been brought out.

Najida sat next to Ganondorf and Mora, a stern look on her face as she looked up at the royal table that held an empty chair. Mora should have been sitting there but the feast was halfway through and she had been granted permission to sit with the Zonai warrior and Gerudo King. "What's that look for, Najida?"

Najida seemed to snap out of her thoughts when Mora spoke to her. "I…" She glanced to Ganondorf who was chatting with a Sheikah monk about who knew what. "I need to use the ladies room; would you show me where-"

"Of course." Mora put a hand on Gan's shoulder, whispering to him that the two girls were stepping out for a moment. She quickly led the way out of the main hall and into the grand entrance, frowning at how jumpy Najida seemed to be. "I know you don't like being in crowds, but are you sure there isn't something wrong?"

Najida grabbed Mora's hand, yanking her down a dimly lit corridor. "He hasn't spoken to you in the last two days, has he?"

"Who Gan? We've been-"

"No." Najida snarled, her grasp tightening on Mora's hand, enough to make the princess gasp. "_Him_. Have you heard _anything_?"

A dark chill trickled down Mora's spine, causing her head to spin. "No. He's gone. I know he is."

"The Sheikah think he's gone into hiding. That we didn't actually defeat him. Corro agrees." Najida laced her fingers with Mora's when the Hylian girl tried to pull away. "Request to have me be your guard, Mora. You can have one guard at your side at all times, request me. I'll explain more later, okay? I-" She went quiet when footsteps echoed from around the corner. She grabbed Mora, yanking the princess down so her head was resting on the Zonai's shoulder.

Corro stepped around the corner, frowning at the two of them. "Najida, Mora. You're about to miss desert."

"Sorry, the princess is still a little emotional from the battle." Najida kept a hand locked on the back of Mora's head, keeping her face into the strong shoulder it was pressed against.

"Very well. Mora, make yourself presentable again. Your mother needs you back inside, _now_." Corro hissed and turned back around, leaving the two girls alone.

Mora reeled back, huffing at Najida. "What in the hell was that?!"

"I'll explain everything later, alright? But we can't leave you alone in this castle." Najida turned and left Mora alone in the empty corridor.

Mora glanced over her shoulder into the dark hall, unable to shake the feeling of unease that clutched her chest now. "I'm not afraid of you anymore. I defeated you once, I can do it again." She hissed under her breath before going back to the dining hall. She pushed the door open, the entire hall quieted and turned, staring at her.

"Ah, right on time, my dear daughter." Zelda was standing, a happy grin on her lips as she waved both arms out, signaling to the entire room. "With this feast, I would like to thank our Hero, Ganondorf. And to also welcome my eldest daughter, Mora, back to Hyrule. She will be following me from here on out in preparations to take over as Queen on her eighteenth name day."

Gan was the first to lean back and give a loud, slow clap. There was that stupid, shit-eating grin on his face as he winked at the stunned Mora. He knew more than anyone in that room just how little she wanted the throne. She had always wanted a peaceful life, quiet days filled with no responsibilities. Soon the rest of the room started clapping with Ganondorf, cheering out with both of their names on their lips.

Mora felt dread wrap its cold embrace around her, tight and suffocating as she stood there. Her eyes moved up to the royal table, seeing Corro glaring down at her. She tried her best to shrink into herself as servants came in behind her, easily going around her as they carried plates of honeyed apples to each of the guests.

Zelda's plan was slowly coming together; while Corro's was slowly crumbling.


	27. The First Blood Moon

Oof. I made y'all wait a long time for an update and I am so, so, so sorry! Life and work got in the way and I slowly lost motivation for this story, but my motivation is back and I have a small vacation coming up! Hopefully I can crank out a few chapters and get this story going strong again!

~With Love, Chika!

* * *

Tanned fingers gently worked the thick oil into the freshly cut hair, working out any tangles in the short, shoulder length brown locks. Amber eyes finally looked up, meeting deep green ones through the mirror. "Mora-"

"It's been a year and a half, Najida. My birthday and coronation are in," Mora glanced at the tiny pocket watch that hung from the mirror. "thirty-six hours and you still haven't explained what's going on." She growled at her personal guard. A year and a half ago, Mora, Ganondorf and Najida, along with Ubo and Biana, had made their back way to Hyrule to celebrate the defeat of Demise and celebrate the life of Link who they lost against the monster. Queen Zelda had also announced that Mora would be staying behind in Hyrule so that she might take over the throne once she was ready. Which Queen Zelda had decided that time was a year and a half later on Mora's eighteenth birthday; though if Mora had any say, she wouldn't be on that throne for very long before handing it down to her younger sister, the next heir to the throne. "Every night you ask me if I've heard from Demise, as if I should be hearing from him, which I shouldn't be. We defeated him and lost Link. Link didn't die in vain."

Najida stayed quiet as she quickly braided Mora's hair, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she thought out her words as best as she could before sharing her thoughts.

"You've never been shy before, Na. I can't have people tiptoeing around me if in two days I'm to receive the crown."

The words that left the Zonai warrior came out so fast that it took Mora a full minute to process the weight of them. "The Sheikah are working with Corro, the amulets we gave to you and Ganondorf were just traps and we have reason to believe that Demise is in the castle somewhere."

With her heart in her throat, Mora closed her eyes, her bottom lip starting to tremble as she swallowed the bundle of nerves that threatened to block her breath. She didn't know what she was expecting when she tried to focus on that feeling she remembered getting from Demise, but she felt nothing, no anger, no hunger. She felt almost…

Empty.

As she had since Demise had been defeated. "He wouldn't stay quiet if he was this close to the one person he had control over for years." Mora reminded herself, exhaling slowly to rid her shoulders of the anxious tension building there.

"He would if he couldn't reach you…" Najida whispered softly as she stepped back and wiped her hands off. "There's a reason we do this cleansing every day." She leaned around the princess, blowing out the candles that sat on the vanity. "Also… I did as you asked… it turns out he _wasn't_ getting the letters you've been sending. I found the ones from the last month in the mail room, like you suspected." She glanced to the door to Mora's room, eyeing the small bag there. "I… still don't think-"

"Corro needs to understand that he can't control me. Mother asked me to look into some prospects that had lined up. She said they were his idea." Mora let out a hateful laugh as she abruptly got up, smoothing out the skirts of her nightgown.

"You'll eventually have to marry…" Najida frowned as she watched Mora move to the large closet and pull out a simple outfit for the next morning, she was due for riding lessons with her younger sister at Lon Lon Ranch.

"I'd succumb to Demise before I marry a prospect that Corro picks for me."

"Mora… do you…" Najida straightened up, frowning at Mora who wasn't paying her all that much attention. She knew her question would earn a bite back. "You sympathize with Demise." Mora whirled around, staring at Najida. Before she could say anything, Najida slammed her against the closet door, a snarl leaving the Zonai. "You _miss_ Him! You miss having Him inside of your head!" She forced Mora back against the door more when the princess started to fight back. "Would you hand Ganondorf over to him?!"

"What- Najida! You're insane, I don't know who put that idea in your head. Look, it's late and I have to be up early for riding practice in the morning-" Mora quit struggling for a moment, letting herself look smaller so Najida would loosen up. She gently laced her fingers with the Zonai, pushing her back.

Najida squeezed Mora's hand, gnashing her teeth as she watched the girl. When Mora went to pull her hand away, Najida didn't let go. "Answer the question, Mora."

Mora twisted her wrist, trying to get Najida to loosen her grip, but the warrior only moved with the princess. "Na, c'mon. You know I would never do something so outrageous. Why would I fight Demise like that and then just… give him what he wants?"

"Because… you love Him."

Mora moved quicker than she had meant, her eyes wide as she stared at her outstretched hand, her chest heaving from anger and shock. She looked over at Najida who was now turned away and holding her face where Mora had slapped her. "Na… I… I'm so sorry, I didn't…" She tucked her hand against her chest, eyes wide as she backed away from Najida. "I could never… _never_ love Demise. He used me, and now he wants to destroy what I hold most dear. I would…" She couldn't stop the growl that left her as she turned and opened the doors to the balcony so she could look out over Hyrule fields. "I would destroy anyone and anything that threatened Gan's happiness. He isn't the Evil King, if I… if I can help it, he will never meet that fate."

Najida was facing Mora, still rubbing her cheek. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as the warm spring wind blew in, lifting Mora's hair and nightgown some. Najida's whole being went slack when Mora looked at her from over her shoulder at the same time lightning struck the fields beyond. The Zonai warrior could feel the threat in the words the princess spoke, she meant them, she would do anything to keep the Gerudo King safe.

* * *

Mora looked up from the book in her hands, blinking rapidly to wake her eyes up. She stood, a brow slowly climbing as she turned in a circle. She was standing in the grand hall of the castle, but the light that shined through the old stain glass windows told her that servants and guards should be bustling around her. That Najida should be standing watch nearby. That her sister should be running up to her, asking her older sister if she was excited to go riding this morning. Mora slowly looked, turning her attention to the book in her hands. No words graced the old pages.

When the princess looked up again, the stain glass _was broken, and the walls were crumbling. She could hear the familiar 'buzzt-blip' of nearby Guardians as they roamed around somewhere nearby. She put her hand over her mouth, trying her best to ignore how her body was producing more saliva as if getting ready to throw up, but she couldn't ignore the way bile built up in her stomach. She crashed to her knees, her body giving in to the need to expel the last thing she ate._

_Tears burned her eyes as she stared at the dark puddle in front of her. Malice. She reached over, pinching her own arm. "C'mon. Wake up. This is a dream. Wake up. Please. __**Please**__!" She stumbled to her feet and wiped her mouth, unable to stop her sobs as she pushed the doors to the dining hall open. A pathetic cry left her as an eye made of malice turned to her, blinking at her. It studied her, tipping and twisting to watch her leave as she ran out of the room and towards the back of the Grand Hall. She looked down again, stumbling to her hands and knees when she saw what she was wearing, an off-white and blue satin dress with the Hylian symbol embroidered on it in a soft golden tone. "No… why am I wearing this?" It was her coronation gown; her mother had insisted on the Hylian symbol being large and over her middle so the people would know she was of Royal blood. _

_Mora had heard the underlying message, as long as she wore these colors and this symbol, Corro couldn't accuse the Queen of lying. Why it mattered that Mora wore this dress, she didn't understand, it wasn't like she would combust if she wore it while not being of Royal blood, but it was a message the citizens would see and that Corro wouldn't dare fight against._

_Mora went to turn down the hall that led to her room when the doors to the Throne Room suddenly opened, showing her that everything was crumbling and decaying. In the center was a large black and red beast, patiently waiting for her to come inside. She looked down the hall towards the safety of her room, seeing it was pitch black now, endless and unsure. She slowly turned, taking one step towards the Throne Room. Then another. And another. Until she was just inside the room._

_The doors slammed shut, making her jump and give a loud squeak. She watched the monster change before her, leaving her staring at a man in obsidian armor that was lined with gold. His deep red hair was brushed back and flowing freely to his lower back. A large ruby sat on his forehead with the help of the simple golden headdress he wore. His skin looked almost gray as he slowly turned to Mora, a knowing grin on his lips. "Now, now. This isn't right."_

_He changed again; this look caused a strangled sob to leave Mora. His skin was deeply tanned and had hair that went down lower with intricate braids pulled in seemingly random design, his chest was bare save for the simple Gerudo wrap that was laid over his shoulder, the headdress had changed slightly, the top was pulled back more, looking almost like a halo. His strong hips were draped in more royal Gerudo colors, golden rings and bangles covered his arms and hands, but the one that caught Mora's attention was the one that matched the one she wore every day and every night for the last year and a half. "Is that better? Don't we look good like this?"_

_Mora stared up at Demise, seeing the four sharp teeth that sat in his mouth, like little tusks ready to burst forth. "Why…?"_

"_Why not? The planets are about to align and-" He let out a rolling laugh at the annoyed look on Mora's face. "I'm kidding, I'm not __**that**__ cliché. No, no. But things will fall into place all the same. Did you know… tonight is a full moon?" He walked around Mora, his fingers gliding through her short hair. He frowned at her when she looked back at him. "I liked it long."_

"_Good, makes me glad I cut it." She let out a gasp when Demise took a handful at the back of her head, making her look up at him again. "H-Hey!"_

"_You left just enough for me to keep you complacent, Princess." The title dripped from his tongue like poison, sending chills through Mora. "In twenty-four hours, a crown will be placed on your head. In those twenty-four hours, a series of events will aid my… how many times have I been released on this world now? Four? So, re-re-re-"_

"_Get on with it." Mora swore at him, instant regret filling her when he threw her to the ground and loomed over her, the monster from the tomb threatening to swallow her whole. But then he was back to the attractive form he had moments before._

"_If I didn't need you to fuck up everything you touched, darling, I'd kill you right now." He hissed as he grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet and dragging her out of the Throne Room and out of the castle so she could see the ruins of the castle from the outside and the ruins of castle town below. He ignored pathetic noise that left his companion as he turned her attention to the moon that hung above them. "When you wake up, you should see something… similar to this."_

_Mora turned her attention from the blood red moon to the pleasured look on his face. He was enjoying this; he enjoyed the way she trembled against him. She watched him, hearing him click his tongue quickly, dread filling her when she realized it was in time with her quickened heart rate. "Demise… where have you been locked up this last-"_

"_Year and a half?" He grinned down at her as he used the hand that was holding her up to poke just above her left breast. A laugh left him at the horrified look on her face. "Just kidding." He put his palm to her forehead, slowly helping her down as she collapsed. "The Sheikah have my… body isn't the right term. They have my essence…" He seemed to be weighing the thought of that word, apparently liking it to describe what the Sheikah had. "The essence of me, what I can become."_

_He picked her limp form, the grin on his face growing at the sight of fear in her eyes as she lay frozen in his arms. He carried her back inside the castle and to her room. "I toyed with the toy you had been wearing while we were traveling, I knew it was a trap meant for me. I anchored my soul to yours, in a way. That way, when you defeated me, the Sheikah would think they had won-" He carefully set her on the broken and tattered bed, clicking his tongue softly as he ran a thumb under her eye. "Why are you crying? You and Ganondorf will live forever, if I have any sway in how things turn out._

_And I will, oh, I will. Just trust me on that, hm? I had to stay quiet, withdrawn. You're horrible at keeping secrets, if you had known that the Sheikah hadn't captured all of me, then they would know. I must say, you have quite the imagination, do you really think Ganondorf would take you on the-" Demise pulled back quickly, laughing when Mora tried to lash out at him, but her arm weakly flopped to the edge of the bed. He held his muscled belly as he let out a roar of laughter, resuming his relaxed position on the edge of the bed and looking down at her. "That doesn't really matter, now does it?" He gave her a coy look, licking his lips at the way her face turned red. "All I'm saying, is if he doesn't, I might." The next laugh was softer than the one before it, but it was still a laugh at her expense. "The blood moon is what will start the series of events," he glanced at her again, shrugging. "and nothing you do will stop it. Actually, whatever you do, might make it happen faster. I won't complain, I'm rather sick and tired of those stupid Sheikah picking at me, trying to figure out what the Malice is. They'll never understand it."_

_Mora wiggled her fingers, frowning as she closed her eyes to focus on moving her legs. "It's no use." Her eyes snapped open and she glared up at the man sitting next to her. She licked her lips, huffing at him when her voice wouldn't work. She got a grunt and a snarl out when he put a hand on her thigh. "Though, I must say, I'm proud that you got your arm to work like that." She watched as he shrugged, her skin crawling when she felt him rubbing his thumb in a slow circle on the top of her thigh. "Anyways, as I was saying. I know the series of events that will send Hyrule into a spiral, and luckily for us… for me, really, is that you and Ganondorf are in the exact center of it." He gave her a playful bop on the tip of her nose, earning himself a dirty glare. "What's that look for? I'm here to help, just stop Corro, the Sheikah and the Zonai. Then you and Ganondorf can die happily in that silly little canyon over looking the sea while Princess Zelda rules Hyrule and Talo rules the Gerudo."_

_Demise leaned over Mora, his red hair spilling over both of them like a cascade of blood. "There's only one way to do all of that, though. And that's with my help." His voice became like honey to Mora's ears as he spoke, she didn't notice the dark hunger that filled his eyes and the way his muscles tensed as if he was readying himself to pounce. "Just give yourself to me, whatever you give to me, I'll give back tenfold. Only with my help can you save Ganondorf." Her arms moved, wrapping around the back of his neck. "How much are you willing to give? A soul for a soul? All you have to do… is what I say…" Her fingers tangled in those coarse red locks, making it easier for her to pull herself against him. "I wonder… how does Courage taste… Power was always so delicious."_

* * *

**Wake up.**

Mora flinched, her eyes snapping open. She noticed how the light from the moon painted the walls of the room red first, then she noticed that this wasn't even her room. She looked down, staring at Najida who was asleep beneath her. The Zonai warrior made a face in her sleep, her hips pushing up against Mora's. She slowly began to stir, amber eyes slowly blinking as she tried to focus. Mora stared down at the other girls' neck, seeing the steady pulse there. Najida wasn't fully awake, Mora could take the other girl still.

Mora gasped and pushed herself up, landing on the floor with a thud. What was she thinking? She couldn't _kill_ Najida. Yeah, the other female had annoyed her with her accusations, but that didn't warrant _killing_. She watched Najida with wide eyes as the other girl slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes.

**Look outside, Princess. What are you wiling to do to save him?**

Mora scrambled to her feet and threw open the window, fear choking her as she stared up at the blood red moon that had climbed to her highest peak. She ripped away from the window, running into Najida who was suddenly very aware of the princess in her room. "Mora! Mora! What's going on? Talk to me, Mo."

**Kill her, Princess. Kill her and you'll be one step closer to saving him.**

"Mo! By the Goddess… _breathe_!" Najida slapped Mora on the back as if that would help the girl breathe evenly. "Ow! Fuck me, Mo!" She pried Mora's hand off her wrist, looking down at where her nails had bitten in and drew blood. "What's gotten into you?" She froze, seeing the fear in Mora's eyes. "Mo…?" She gasped and jumped to her feet when Mora pushed her away. "Seriously, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing. Sorry, I had a bad dream." Mora looked out the window again, seeing that the moon was no longer red. She got up and went to the door, stopping when her fingers touched the golden handle. "Najida… the Zonai… are you guys thinking of moving against Gan?"

Najida was watching Mora carefully, making sure to stay very still where she was standing. "No…" She swallowed a few times to get rid of the dryness in her throat, she could tell from the way that Mora hunched her shoulders that the Princess didn't believe her. "Not… entirely." This had the princess looking over her shoulder at Najida. "If… and only if, Demise shows back up… will we… step in to keep Ganondorf safe."

"How will you keep him safe?"

**Imprisonment is a fun choice. Death is a pretty solid second choice. Though… that would allow for a new reincarnation to crawl out from between the legs of the Gerudo. I guess they could block the Gerudo out of Hyrule… annihilate an entire race…**

"I don't know."

**She knows.**

"Najida."

"I don't know, Mora. The elders have only said to keep an eye on you and make sure Demise doesn't reappear. If he does… I'm to let them know. Your dream, did it have-"

"No. I was in my coronation gown and walking around town, everyone was whispering about me. I'm not the true heir, they kept whispering that. Over and over again. I tried to tell them to take the damn crown then, but they wouldn't."

**That dream was always annoying. **

"It is an annoying dream." Mora hissed as she left Najida alone in her room. She walked down the hall, back to her own bed. She felt like a bunched-up spring that was about to be let go, a hunger filled her, eager and excited as it waited for the kill. With a sigh, she flopped over in her bed and curled around one of her pillows as she closed her eyes.

* * *

_Demise looked up from the book in his hands when Mora spoke. "If I give you everything… what will I get in return?" His green eyes slowly drank in the thin nightgown that clung to the princess before him. He finally met the determination in her green eyes._

_He held a hand out to her, seeing her hesitate for a moment before an emotion he didn't recognize crossed her face and she took his hand. When she did, her gown changed back to her coronation gown. He smirked at the confusion on her face. "When I said everything, did you really think I meant letting me see you as you were the day you were born?" He let out a laugh and pulled her down into his lap, that hunger making his eyes darken. "No, what I meant was letting down the barriers of your mind, let me… consume… no, blend. Yes, blend, with you. You still fight me."_

"_I don't…" Mora started to get up, her eyes on the being when he let her up without a fight. "I don't want to be the bad guy."_

"_Who said I was the bad guy? The people that won't give you a straight answer about what they'll do to 'save' Ganondorf?" He raised his hands and wiggled his fingers when he said 'save'. "I'm telling you exactly what I can do to help you save Ganondorf. We put a stop to the Sheikah, the Zonai and to Corro… and your little sister, for safety measures. Who knows what the heathens she'll give birth to one day will do?" He relaxed back into the chair, brows climbing when the room changed on him and he was sitting on the throne with Mora sitting and leaning against it next to his legs._

"_I don't want the throne, though."_

"_Why not? It's rather comfortable." He stroked her hair, petting the top of her head. He glared down at her, seeing the way she was slowly beginning to lean against him. She was becoming more comfortable with him, but she didn't trust him completely. "You have to trust me, you know. That little shadow of doubt that you have in the back of your mind, that's what's stopping you from accepting me."_

"_You wanted… want me dead."_

_Demise let out a throaty growl as he leaned forward, his lips moving against her temple as he spoke. "Fine, let me give you a thread and see where that takes us. Tomorrow, you can choose to save one of two people. Or, if you can swing it, you can save both, I doubt it, but perhaps you can. Your mother will be having brunch with an old friend, stop that, and the fever won't take her. Ganondorf will begin his journey to Hyrule via horseback through the canyons with a small troop of warriors. They'll stumble across some of my minions, I won't tell you who, but someone will die there as well. Save whoever you want. Only one will of those choices will halt the course this Hyrule is on."_


	28. 24 Hours - Mora

Mora looked up when she heard the Queen talking to the guard captain, smiling some when her younger sister walked over to her. Princess Zelda was thirteen now and growing like a weed. "Hey… I have a favor to ask."

Zelda looked to her sister, narrowing her blue eyes some. "Yes?"

"I need… to go somewhere during riding practice this morning, would you distract Duske or… keep him from following me somehow?"

"What's in it for me?"

"I'll make you some sweets. Teaka's recipe."

Zelda put her hand to her chin, grinning some when Duske started towards them. "Alright, deal."

"I'll be right back." Mora grinned at Duske who narrowed his eyes on both girls before the older one trotted after their mother. "Zelda! I… I uhm have a question."

The Queen turned, smiling at her daughter. "What's wrong?"

"Uhm… we still have an hour before we head out to the ranch, I was wondering if uhm…" Mora scuffed her boot on the tiled floor, frowning at the ground. Demise's words echoed in her head. If she could stop the Queen from going to see this old friend… "Any time something big would happen at the village…" Her throat tightened as she tried to speak, her nose and eyes burned as she struggled to speak to this woman about the woman who raised her. "Uh… she uhm… N-Nikesa… she would have breakfast with me…"

Zelda's face softened as she reached out, touching Mora's hands, smiling some when the girl didn't shy away from her like she normally did. "Mora, I know Nikesa raised you, she was your mother. I won't step on the toes of her memory-"

"It's just… a lot has happened and…"

Zelda looked over her shoulder, seeing the King waiting for her. She turned back to her daughter, cupping her cheek. "I would love to have breakfast with you. I was going to go talk some things over with Corro, but he can wait."

Mora finally looked up at Zelda, trying her best to not let her lip quiver as the two linked arms and walked by Corro. Mora watched the King turn red as he watched them, a smirk lifting at his annoyance. She let Zelda lead her out to the garden where her plans had been with Corro. "Thank you, this means a lot."

Zelda sat at the small table across from her daughter, frowning when the girl put her fingers to her temple. "Headache?"

"Uhm…" Mora gave a small nod before laughing softly. "I guess it can't be helped." She leaned back, telling the young hand maid that she wanted eggs and a juice for breakfast when asked. She turned her attention back to Zelda, frowning again. "I had another question. Would you… for any reason put a stop to my letters going out?"

Zelda straightened up, her brows knitting together as she studied Mora. "Stop your letters? I wasn't aware you had been sending letters. I had assumed you would probably stay in contact with Ganondorf, but no. I wouldn't, why?"

"I asked Najida to look into why I hadn't heard back from him in the time since he left, turns out someone told the pigeon handler to not send out my letters to him. Would Corro do something like that?"

Zelda sighed, put her chin in her hand as she watched the food placed before her. "What an a- he probably wants to drive us apart. Make you feel alone in the castle. I'm sorry I didn't realize, you could have come to me sooner with that, Mora."

"You've been busy, I didn't want to add to your plate." Mora took a few bites of her eggs and forcing them down with her juice. They had no flavor. Not today anyways. "Have you heard from him?"

"I have. Mora, I'm sorry. I figured you had been hearing from him and was waiting for you to come to me… Eabim passed shortly after Ganondorf returned home last time. I should have come to you to talk about it, but I didn't want to push." Zelda paused her fork, noting that her daughter had stopped eating.

"I had a feeling. She wasn't doing well at all when we left."

"Didn't you tell us that she was recovering?"

"I did." Mora finally met Zelda's gaze, giving her a small smile. "I… didn't want you to worry. I knew she was a friend of yours."

* * *

Duske and the young princess Zelda sat under the awning in the shade, watching as Mora eased her ill-mannered mare into a gentle trot; hair and mane bouncing in the warm summer breeze. "Sister hissed at the stray cat the other day. She's done it more than once, you know."

Duske slowly turned to the younger princess, a soft chuckle leaving him. The two girls hadn't seen eye to eye much in the last year and a half, but once the Queen had ordered them to take riding lessons together, tensions seemed to ease away. "Is that so?"

"Yes. The stupid thing scared me, and she hissed at it. Puffed up like a dandi and started spitting away is what it did."

Duske let out a laugh that started in his belly. The stray in question was a fat old tabby, orange fur matted and enough anger to scare off a Goron. His laughter stopped abruptly though when he noticed Mora stop her mare at the far end of the ranch. She had done this once before in similar fashion. She was bound and determined to find her way back to the Gerudo, despite her mothers' orders. "Mora! Don't you-"

Mora was off, the gray and white speckled mare was more than happy to let loose. Duske watched in both awe and horror at how fast the mare was going, he was almost worried they wouldn't make the jump since the fences had been raised due to the princess pulling stunts like this before, but then the mare kicked up, launching easily over the fence.

Duske was up and running to his horse when Zelda got up and ran after him, only to trip and fall. He clicked his tongue and pointed to the other two guard that were with them. "Go after her!" He went to the younger princess, holding his hand out. "Are you alright?"

Zelda popped up, grinning at Duske as she dusted her dress off. "I'm fine."

Duske's face went lax as he gaped at the princess, then he turned and watched the other two guard take off on their own horses after Mora. They wouldn't be fast enough to catch her; she was putting more ground in between herself and the guardsmen. Duske's horse was barely fast enough to catch up to Mora's. "Princess…? Why?"

"Mora found out that her letters weren't getting sent out to Ganondorf. She asked me to help her and in return I get one of Teaka's famous sweets." Zelda walked over to her little mare, waiting for Duske to help her up. "Guess you get to go tell mother that my sister took off."

Duske was dumbfounded, these two girls… they hadn't gotten along at all and suddenly they were helping each other go against their mothers' orders? He gawked at the younger princess, unable to stop the stupid grin that spread on his lips. "And I thought boys were bad…"

"Boys are ornery when they're younger, girls are conniving when they're older." Zelda shrugged when Duske helped her onto her horse. "At least, that's what mother says."

"She'd be right about that…"

* * *

Mora and her mare raced along the road, a small group of soldiers following after her, they would follow her all the way until she was forced to rest. "How far along are they?"

**You ask like I keep track of the Gerudo King.**

"Fine. I'm guessing they yesterday morning, which would put them at the end of the canyons, where is the camp you talked about?"

**You intend on rushing into a camp of monsters… unarmed?**

"Unarmed, but not alone. Why do you think I waited until riding lessons? Duske puts extra patrols out during that time so maybe one or two of his guards might catch up to me." Mora laughed as she raced, dodging guards that tried to stay caught up to her. She looked back, seeing she had a small troop now. "That should be plenty."

**How clever.**

Mora slowed her mare when they go to the bridges that spanned over the river down below in the gorge. She looked back, seeing the guards rounding the bend and still following her. "Zelda will be annoyed with me." With a shrug, she urged the horse forward, ignoring the shouts behind her for her to stop. "Will the monsters attack me?"

She heard a deep rumble of laughter in her head, but no other answer. Guess she would find out in a moment. Her mare rushed past three monsters that were on horseback, the three monsters took pause, watching the princess a moment before giving chase.

Mora looked over her shoulder, seeing the guard leave the bridges and after her and the monsters. A few guards engaged with the horseback monsters while the others followed her up the inclined path, not seeing the camp of monsters up ahead. The princess veered off the path, storming through the middle to get the monsters riled up.

She came to a halt just beyond the camp, seeing a large black horse headed her way. Her heart skipped a beat, the arrow whizzing by her head didn't quite register with her as she saw the large man on the back of the black beast. Another arrow whizzed by somewhere near her, finally drawing her attention back to the guards that had engaged with the monsters.

The Gerudo picked up their pace, making it to Mora when the last of the guards had finished off the monsters, leaving Ubo and Biana pouting as they couldn't join in the fight. Mora looked up, her jaw going slack from how she had to look up at Ganondorf. "Did you get taller?"

"Perhaps you got shorter." Gan gave Mora a grin as he leaned down and touched the ends of her shoulder length hair. "You cut your hair."

"Yeah… I… I needed a change."

"I like it."

Mora grinned up at Gan before smiling at all of her old friends, her eyes stopping on Talo who seemed to have filled in the muscle she had been missing when they were younger. "Talo, I'm surprised you came."

"You're my friend, the village has been rather quite without you there causing trouble." The Gerudo woman smiled at her friend before looking to the annoyed Hylian soldiers. "I see you haven't quit causing trouble."

Mora let out a laugh as she turned her horse, getting ready to lead the way back to Hyrule castle. "Did you really think I would have stopped?"

**That's one life. If I had told you it was her life you'd be sparing, would you have come?**

Mora looked back to Talo, meeting those dark green pools. She couldn't bring herself to look away until Gan moved in between them. She looked up; her eyes locked on the bright blue sky above her. "Always."


	29. 24 Hours - Ganondorf

Talo stood at the entrance to the sparing area, watching as the tall male easily took on three of his guards at once. He slammed the butt of his trident down and let out a sigh as he looked over his shoulder, seeing the slender female Gerudo watching him. "It's almost time for you to head out." Talo held up two flowers and a small pouch when he approached her.

"Thank you, Talo." Ganondorf leaned down, kissing her forehead before taking the items from her. He led the way to the back of the village, taking her to where they had built a memorial for his mother and Nikesa. He kneeled down, placing the small offerings in front of the two memorials. He closed his eyes, sending a silent prayer to both women before rejoining Talo who had turned away so he could have privacy. "Are you still upset with me?"

"I would like to go, Ganondorf. Mora and I didn't always get along, but she was a friend." Talo turned a scowl to him as she walked with him to the palace.

"Talo…" Gan rubbed his face and groaned, not wanting to have this argument again. "The trip will be over a week long, do you really-"

"Gan. I'm going with you. My bag is packed already." Talo planted her feet when they entered the palace, her eyes narrowed on him.

Ganondorf turned and looked at her, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Oh?"

"I'm not about to let you go see our friend alone. The village will be fine for a week. The guards are more than capable of protecting the village." Talo smirked when Gan rolled his eyes with a groan before disappearing into his room to get ready. "Thought so."

* * *

Gan looked over his small party, he was leading the way with Biana right behind him then Talo and Ubo bringing up the rear. "It'll be a two-day trip on horseback, I don't want to rush the horses in this heat, so we'll go slow midday but pick up the pace in the evening."

"We've been through this plan a million times, Ganondorf, let us go before our rides fall back asleep." Talo clicked her tongue which had her horse moving. "The canyon walls will protect the horses from the brunt of the suns heat."

Gan sat back on his horse, watching Talo take the lead now. He flinched when Biana rode up next to him and grinned. "What?"

"Oh… nothing. I just never thought another females besides Mora would pull you around by your ear." Biana laughed as she followed after Talo.

* * *

The small group had stopped late into the evening, Gan stopped setting up the tent he was working up to look over at Talo and Biana talking quietly over the fire. He glanced to his right, seeing Ubo finishing up the tent meant for the women. He sat back on his heels and rubbed his face.

"Is something the matter, Ganondorf?" Ubo walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder, a sullen look on her face.

"I just… the next time I see Mora… she'll be getting crowned and…" He looked up at Ubo, giving her a warm look. "Is it weird that I want to go back to when we were kids? Life was…"

"Simple." Talo had her hands on her strong hips, grinning at her King. "Ya know, I've always thought this… but had Mora not gone to that cave to find you a present for your sixteenth name day… would any of this have happened?" She put her hands up when Gan stood, a stern look on his face. "I mean, really, you could go back and say her mother should have given her the name Zelda, and then given her an alias to go by, but they did what they thought was right by not giving her any ties to the royal bloodline. Had Mora swallowed her feelings and played nice to Eabim, she could have gotten you a grain of sand and you would have been smitten by it." She glared up at him when he opened his mouth to argue. "Don't even. We know who you want to chose to sit by your side, there's a reason you don't have a queen yet when you definitely should."

"Talo… I can't just-" Gan squeezed the bridge of his nose, laughing at his frustration. "You're right though. Had she only given me a card I would have been alright with it." He dropped his hand, brushing it against the hilt of the claymore that was still on his hip. "But instead… maybe if she had told us sooner about hearing the voice, then maybe my mother would have told us the truth-"

"If you had told Eabim about how Demise confirmed what Mora was to you, she would have gone to Hyrule with the news and made Zelda help take care of it." Biana barked, glaring up from where she sat next to the fire.

"We really shouldn't talk about what-ifs when it comes to an enemy that's dead." Ubo crossed her arms and glared at the others. "No matter what happened, Eabim knew full and well that Mora would have been turning sixteen shortly after Ganondorf. She would have kicked the Hylian out of the village by the end of the year, telling her of her true identity and sending her to the Hylian court-"

"No, instead she let me deliver Mora to the Hylian's and live a life she never wanted." Gan shook his head but waved his hands at the three women. "We have to get up early in the morning. Let's stop this conversation and rest."

Talo watched as Gan ducked into his tent. He was taller than all three of the women here and had to practically bend in half to get into the small thing. She looked to the others, shaking her head as well before retiring to the slightly bigger tent that would hold the three women.

* * *

When Talo finally emerged from the tent the next morning, Gan was already packed and leaning against the canyon wall munching away on a sweet. "Didn't you say you would save those for Mora and Princess Zelda?"

Gan looked over at Talo, grinning at her. "I have an entire pouch of sweets for them. I grabbed some for myself from Teaka."

"She was upset when she heard that Mora wouldn't be coming to visit. She misses the little gorokastro."

"She wasn't a monster, Talo." Gan listened as Ubo and Biana emerged from their tent, already in their armor. "Let's finish getting packed and get going, I'd like to get to Castle Town before it gets dark."

The four rode in relative silence until midmorning, Gan put his hand up, signaling to his party to slow up as he listened to something. He slowly urged his giant beast of a horse forward, eyes narrowing when he heard monsters roaring up ahead, and then he saw a lean white mare with a dappled rump come to a halt farther up the path. The rider was definitely female, but her hair wasn't long like he remembered, it was cut to frame her face better, and she looked right at him. She wasn't phased when two arrows whizzed by her face, almost like she was transfixed on him and his group.

Gan swallowed the lump that formed in his throat before taking off towards the rider, slowing when he got closer. His group was right behind him, Ubo and Biana already jumping off their horses to join in the fight when they realized the fight was already over thanks to a small troop of Hylian guards.

"Did you get taller?"

Gan stopped next to Mora, leaning down so he could touch her short hair. "Perhaps you got shorter." He laughed at the look she gave him, smiling when she seemed to lean towards his touch. "You cut your hair."

* * *

Gan watched Mora carefully as they traveled through the fields of Hyrule, eyes narrowed. She was tense and muttering to herself every now and again. He looked up though when someone on horse back approached them, it was Duske. And he looked furious. "Captain Duske, you look annoyed."

"Ah, King Ganondorf. So nice to see you again. And no, not annoyed, it's my favorite past time to chase after a princess that would love nothing more than to run off every other day while her sister hides in some secret tunnel in the castle. I'm about to the point where I'm going to cuff the two of them to myself, so I know where they are."

Gan let out a loud laugh and shook his mane of red hair. "Don't give Mora any ideas, she was a master when it came to hide and seek when we were younger."

"And a master at getting myself into trouble." Mora grinned at Gan, earning herself another chuckle. "I'm sorry, Duske. I… I had a dream last night that something bad would happen at that camp, I knew if I said something, everyone would dismiss it."

"Bad dream… like a premonition?" Duske watched the princess closely, his eyes a little wide. "You had breakfast with your mother this morning, did you tell her about it?"

"Well… no."

"Goddess curse me." Duske growled as he rode alongside the King and Princess. "If you had told her that, she would have sent a troop to bring Ganondorf in. Your mother doesn't play around with premonitions. That's a good sign for you, it means that your… just… next time you have one, tell someone, alright?"

Gan raised a brow at Duske before looking out over Hyrule. "I think midsummer is my favorite time out this way." He gave a shrug when Mora gave him a questioning look. "I guess it's the only season I've seen out here, but the grass is just so green and the trees…"

"I… still have to finish my riding practice and then archery, do you want to enjoy the sun a little longer?" Mora smiled up at Gan who smiled back at her.

Duske tried to quiet the groan that left him as he picked up his horses pace. "Your sister is waiting at the ranch still. Najida came up as you took off, so I asked her to watch after your sister for the moment." He let out a yelp when Mora and her reckless beast tore by him, a loud whooping sound coming from the princess. He let out a sigh when the others only laughed. "This is the first time I've really seen her smile since you left last time."

Gan kept pace with the guard captain, a lopsided grin spread across his wide mouth. "I think it's the same for me, Captain." He looked up when shadows were cast over his group, seeing some Rito flying overhead, he recognized one as the snow-white Isarth, leader of the Rito. "How close are the other domains?"

"The Zora and Goron have already arrived. I'm honestly surprised the Rito showed up this early, Isarth likes to show up at the last moment for these kinds of things." Duske confided as they made their way to the ranch, seeing Mora prancing around her younger sister and personal guard.

* * *

Gan stood next to the bench that the young princess sat on next to her mother, the Queen had showed up some time after Mora had resumed her practice. His group was sitting as well, having let Duske sit between them and the Queen and princess. He glanced over, seeing the Rito standing back some and observing the princess in the arena. Guards were setting up targets on the other side of the arena so she could practice mounted archery. "I'm surprised you have her practice mounted."

Queen Zelda looked up at Ganondorf, still in awe at how tall he was now, he was at least a foot taller than Isarth who was tall for a Rito. "She asked a few months back if she could practice it, I didn't see a problem with it seeing as she was already decent with a bow."

"I'm surprised you have them practice with a bow at all." Isarth commented as he stepped up next to Ganondorf, his eyes following Mora, watching as her mare seemed to become annoyed at not being able to go as fast as possible. "And her horse seems temperamental."

"Oh, she is." Duske laughed, shaking his head as he watched the mare toss her head side to side as she trotted around. "Her lope is getting better, but we weren't able to work with her much while Mora was in the Shrine."

"Elbows up, princess!" A scrawny woman shouted from the fence when the guards were done setting up the targets.

Mora cast an annoyed look at the instructor before lifting her bow and nocking an arrow. She let her mare decide the direction they went as she dropped the reigns. She let out a few measured breaths before raising the bow and aiming.

"I wonder if she'll do the thing again." Princess Zelda purred as she shifted forward on the bench she sat on, watching her sister closely.

"The thing?" The Queen looked between her youngest daughter and her oldest as the one riding seemed to focus on the target across the arena. "What thing?"

"If she does the thing I'll rip her from that horse and beat her myself. It took weeks to repair the arena after that." Duske suddenly stood as he watched Mora, freezing when he felt all eyes on him. He looked to the Queen, bowing his head quickly. "I'm kidding. Mostly."

"What thing, Duske?" The Queen rose, her blue eyes narrowed on the guard.

"Last time she practiced mounted archery, time seemed to stand still and then there was an explosion of light." Princess Zelda gave her mother a coy look, seeing the color drain from the Queen's face. "Did Duske not tell you about that?"

"You didn't either. Nor did Mora." Duske growled at the young princess.

"Sounds like what happened in the temple." Gan pushed off the pole he had been leaning against, but when Mora let the arrow loose, it was just a normal arrow that stuck into the target, the next one was the same. Two more targets left, the third hit with a hard 'thwack'.

Mora breathed in deep, eyes closed as she nocked another arrow. She breathed in deep through her nose and released it through her mouth slowly as she raised the bow. She could feel her mare picking up speed, eager to let loose again.

**Targets are boring.**

Mora squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to ignore the dark voice in her head.

**Why don't we make this more entertaining? You do have an audience.**

"Boring is fine." Mora hissed to herself as she slowly opened her eyes, locking onto the target and letting the arrow fly. She cursed quietly when she saw a small light at the tip of the arrow that grew the closer the arrow got to the target.

Gan smirked when he saw the light at the tip of the arrow and listened as Duske cursed under his breath. He started to go for a clap when a new noise distracted him, he looked over in time to watch as a guardian tore out of the woods near the arena. The machine let out a screeching noise as a red laser focused on Mora. "Wait… wait!" He took off towards the fence, getting ready to jump over it when Mora's horse jumped over the fence at the same time the arrow hit its' target and a small explosion happened, causing the guardian to come to a halt and whirl around before it gave chase to Mora.

**See? Entertainment.**

"What did you do?!" Mora hissed as she twisted in her saddle, trying to get a good aim on the guardian. Her eyes widened when she noticed the red dot on her stomach. "Bastard!" She twisted back around and yanked hard to the left as a bright light left the guardian and streaked by her, just barely missing.

**The guardians are designed to hunt down monster energy, if you can't handle this silly machine, then maybe it's for the best.**

Mora scoffed and turned her horse around, racing towards the guardian as it tried to pinpoint her while she forced her horse into a zigzag to make it harder on the guardian. She lifted her bow, breathing in deep through her nose, then slowly out her mouth. She closed her eyes for a breath before slowly opening her eyes once more.

Gan let out a loud whistle as he ran, easily pulling himself onto his large horse when it ran over to him. He found himself moving slower, risking a glance over his shoulder, he saw it was the same for everyone else, they all seemed to move slower. But it was Mora and the guardian that moved the slowest. His jaw dropped as he pulled back on the reigns as he watched the tip of Mora's arrow turn black with energy. He recognized that from the temple. He narrowed his eyes on her, how was she pulling on Demise if he was defeated?

Mora pressed the string of her bow back against her cheek, her eyes focusing on the tip of her arrow, she felt her shoulders relax as she remembered the Queen's teachings.

* * *

_Mora watched the Queen and Princess as they focused on their hands. A white light ebbed from the small amount of water in Queen Zelda's hands while the light zapped harshly in the Princess's hands. The Queen glanced to her daughter, giving her a warm smile. "Envision something soothing, you have to be able to control it." She looked to Mora, watching her older daughter. "Give it a try, think of something pure."_

_Mora looked down at the murky water in her hands. She breathed in deep and closed her eyes, unable to pull her mind away from the thought of a young Gan running through the streets trying to find her as she hid in the shadows watching him. The thought had her grinning and when she opened her eyes she was looking down into clear water. "Hey, I did it."_

* * *

Mora pulled herself back into that moment, hiding in the shadows while her best friend ran right by her. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the light at the tip of her arrow was shimmering white and gold. She grinned and let the arrow go, listening to it scream before connecting with the guardian and causing the large machine to flip over backwards, the scrawny white spider-like legs flailing around as it screamed. She grabbed the reigns again before turning back to everyone. Her eyes slowly widened when an arm wrapped around her waist and she was yanked from her horse.

Gan pulled Mora from her saddle with ease before continuing on the path he was on. He pulled her into his lap as the others shouted at them to come back. His arm tightened around her as he trembled, he was angry, shocked that she hadn't told him. "Demise never died… did he?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" Mora kept her face pressed to Gan's chest, her fingers still on the hard muscle there.

"Don't play stupid, Mora. I saw your arrow, that was the same energy as in the temple. How long has Demise been back?"

Mora bit her lip but couldn't stop it from quivering as tears threatened to spill over her cheeks. "He… he never left. He stayed quiet until last night… I didn't have a premonition, he told me that someone was going to hurt the Queen and that you would run into trouble and someone would die. That Talo would die." She risked glancing up until she felt his hand on the back of her head. "Gan, I can't tell anyone… I'm afraid the Zonai are working with the Sheikah who are working with Corro. They're planning something and it has to do with you and Demise. The Sheikah think they have Demise locked away, but it's not… him…"

Gan slowly turned his horse, seeing that the others had gone still watching the two of them race off. "Why did he save Talo and the Queen?"

"I… because I want to save you." Mora whispered, not wanting the others to know, but if Gan had seen her arrow, the others surely had as well.

"So, he's helping you to help me? Mora, why is he helping us?"

**I'm proving a point. Maybe I'm not as bad as I seem.**

Mora frowned and shook her head. "You aren't proving a point. You have a plan up your sleeve… you have to."

Gan rubbed the back of Mora's head, listening to her talk to the voice in her head before he let out a small chuckle. "You know, you could probably just respond in your head instead of out loud."

"I… hadn't really thought about that." Mora gave a nervous laugh as they finally rejoined the others. "I guess… practice is over."


	30. Shell

_Zelda stumbled as she ran, her eyes wide with fear as she tripped and rolled to the ground. She looked up, seeing two people in red and black with white masks, a weird symbol on their masks. It looked similar to the Sheikah's symbol, but it was upside down. She scooted back as fast as she could, whimpers leaving her when she bumped into something. She risked looking up, staring up at one of those white masks. _

_The person pulled their weapon back, a chuckle leaving them as they went to slice down at her. Zelda threw her arms up, a shriek leaving her. Until she felt something wet and hot hit her face, she risked looking to see someone in blue standing over her, their sword easily slicing through the hand that held the weapon aimed for the princess._

_A noise to their left had Zelda looking over while her protector finished off the assailants. She watched as a woman in a long dark cloak pulled her hood down, her long brown hair blowing in the wind and deep green eyes narrowing on the princess, a wicked grin on her lips before she turned and disappeared over the dune._

"Zel?"

"Zel. Wake up, brat."

_Zelda looked over, seeing her protector walking back towards her, a small white cloth in his hand. He had dark blonde hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck and deep blue eyes. She looked back to the dune, her heart in her throat as she slowly pushed herself to her feet. She looked back to the boy walking towards her, his hands moving in different signals as he approached her._

The princess flinched when someone shook her from her dream. She stared into deep green eyes framed by short brown hair. She surged to her feet, trembling as she watched Mora stand up. "Wh… what?"

"You fell asleep. Are you alright?" Mora reached out, gently cupping her sisters face. "Hey, did you have a bad dream?"

Zelda stepped into her sister, wrapping her arms tight around the taller Hylian female. "I… I don't know… it didn't feel like a dream."

"Want to talk about it?"

"N…no… not really." Zelda kept her arms tight around Mora, not letting her pull away.

Mora stared down at the younger princess, squeezing her tight against her. "Hey, it's almost time for lunch, Gan brought us treats from Teaka. Would that make you feel better?" She smiled when she felt her sister nod against her chest. "C'mon then. Let's go join the others." She took her sisters hand and led her out of the library.

"Mora…?" Zelda stared at their hands, squeezing Mora's hard when the older princess looked back at her. "Would… you wouldn't ever attack me, would you?"

Mora stopped and kneeled in front of her sister, letting the thin skirt of her dress pool around her. "Hey, where's this coming from? You might be my annoying little sister, but I would never hurt a hair on your head."

"I…" Zelda looked away from Mora when a hand was placed on her cheek. "It was a stupid dream. I saw someone that looked like Link, but he's dead. And you were wearing a cloak in the desert-" She leaned into the hand on her cheek, waiting for Mora to say something but when she didn't, Zelda sighed. "It felt so real, I still feel short of breath like I was the one doing the running."

"I've been having weird dreams too. You know I'll happily help carry any burdens you feel."

"What are your dreams like?"

"Well, first of all, in my dreams sometimes I'll see a Gerudo woman and she has pointed ears."

Zelda gave her sister a weird look. The Gerudo had rounded ears with sharp noses and hard jawlines. "That is odd. Are you sure they were Gerudo?"

"I never talked to them, I always stay in the shadows in those dreams, just observing, watching. But they all go to Gerudo village in the end." Mora shrugged as she stood once more, musing her sisters hair. "C'mon, the others will be waiting for us."

* * *

Najida stood back from the group of powerful people, she kept her eyes on Mora, watching the princess when she would pause as if listening to something before responding to something one of the others said. She seemed distant, distracted. Najida straightened up when Mora looked over at her, her eyes dark as she held the Zonai's gaze. Mora hadn't answered her on why she had been in her guards bedroom the night prior, why Najida had awoken to Mora spilling off the bed, off of her.

Gan said something that had Mora returning to the conversation and laughing with the others. The small female Zora chimed in which caused more laughter. Najida couldn't remember her name, but she was a brilliant silver with a tail that dragged along the ground behind her. She had a purple sash draped over her shoulders and around her waist along with fine gold chains wrapped loosely around her belly and forehead that went down that long tail. Isarth stood between the Zora and Ganondorf, laughing at a comment Princess Zelda said back to the Zora who was now blushing and holding her soft cheeks.

Mora couldn't help but glance back at Najida again, frowning at her guard. She knew in her gut she should tell the Zonai warrior about Demise, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She looked at the group surrounding her, smiling again as they all laughed amongst each other.

**If you tell her, she'll hurt Ganondorf.**

Mora looked to her feet; she knew telling Najida would spell the end for Ganondorf. She couldn't let that happen. She reached out, touching Ganondorf's wrist lightly. "Uhm… if the Queen comes looking for me, would you tell her that I started feeling light headed? I think I'm going to go lay down."

Gan put his hand on her shoulder, carefully rubbing it. "I'll walk you to your room, I'm sure your sister can carry that message?"

"If she comes looking for you, I'll let her know." Zelda looked to her sister, a worried look in her eyes.

"Najida," Mora turned to her guard, dipping her head when the warrior came over. "Will you stay with Zelda? I'm going to rest my head for a bit until rehearsal."

"I should really stay with you, Mora…" Najida frowned when Gan gave her a pathetic look. "I… fine. But if you need anything just send for me, alright?"

"Thank you, Najida." Mora touched Najida's shoulder as she and Ganondorf walked away, leaving the group to go back to their laughter and jokes. She let herself bump against Gan every few steps, knowing Biana or Ubo were behind them to keep an eye on their King.

"Will you be alright?" Gan put his hand on her back as they walked, his face strained with worry.

"I'll be fine. If I'm being honest, I just… I honestly wanted a moment with you." Mora gave him a warm smile as she led the way to her bedchamber. She pushed the doors open when they reached her room, she looked back and saw Biana take up guard next to the door. "Thank you, Biana."

"Of course." Biana smiled at the two before looking forward, looking at the painting of a previous Queen. "Is this one outside your door for a reason?"

Mora looked over, staring at the warm green eyes that watched her from the painting, dark brown hair braided over one shoulder as she smiled for the painter. "Probably. That way I don't feel like a black rose in a field of red."

Gan waited inside the sitting area for Mora, watching as she left the doors cracked to the hallway. He walked up behind her, gently pushing the doors shut all the way. He ignored the curious look he got from Mora as she walked across the room and pushed open the doors to her bedchamber. With a few long strides, Gan crossed her room and opened the doors to the balcony outside where he turned and waited for her.

Mora watched him, he seemed almost nervous as he rushed across her room. "You act like you've never been in my room before, Gan."

"I act like I've never been in your room when you're a princess and we're in a castle full of guards who would gut me if your mother told them to." He laughed, earning a small laugh from her as well. "No, I'm just worried about you, Mo. You seem distracted, by something other than the Evil King in your head."

"I am. I can't help but think of what would happen if I just… disappeared. What if I said screw it and got on Vedette and took off, went and lived in that valley where we found the horses, so I didn't have to partake in this fate anymore?"

Gan leaned back against the railing, smiling up at the castle that loomed over them. "Only if I could join you." He looked over his shoulder at the little church that sat at the edge of a lake across the field from them. "I love the thought of stealing you away from here and starting a life we want; not what others tell us we want."

"Don't tease me, Gan. I'll do it. I'll meet you at that stupid little church and we can run away from all of this." Mora tried to bite back the desperation in her voice, but she knew from the look he gave her that he heard it. "You know this life isn't the one I want. I want to live on that ridge, overlooking the ocean as the horses run free around us."

Gan reached out, his hand cupping her cheek and pulling her against him. "I know, Mo. I know." He leaned down, his mouth gentle against hers. When he pulled back, he looked into those deep green pools, seeing so much worry and other emotions that were meant for him. She looked so small and fragile in that moment. Gan picked her up, kissing her again when she wrapped herself around him, allowing them to slip into that life they wanted, even if only for a moment.

* * *

Biana looked over when the Queen walked up, an annoyed look on her face. "My Queen, Mora wasn't feeling well-"

"So, I've heard, Biana." Zelda pushed the doors open and crossed the room quickly where she threw the next set of doors open, her eyes narrowing more when she saw Ganondorf fixing the dark blue cloth he wore draped across his shoulders. "Ganondorf."

Gan whirled around, quickly pointing to the sleeping princess in the bed. He put his hands up when Zelda crossed the room to him, glaring up at him. "It's not what you think-"

"You're a terrible liar." Zelda snarled at the young King, turning her annoyance on her daughter when the girl sat up, clearly not caring that the gown she wore was thin. "Mora, you had better put something decent on-" The Queen froze, watching as her daughter stood and let the gown drop to the ground. "Mora!"

"Like you said, he's a terrible liar. Who cares what we do? I'm only taking after my flesh and blood. Oh wait. I have to be married to actually take after you." Mora felt her skin crawl when she noticed Gan's eyes drinking her in again. She turned and plucked a dress out of the closet; it was a satin gown that had a purple corset with a white skirt. She worked herself into it, grumbling when Zelda came over and helped her into it.

"You shouldn't follow after my…" Zelda bit her lip, she wouldn't call it a mistake, Mora wasn't a mistake. Neither were her feelings for Duske. "Mora, I want what's best for you. I can't help you with that if you're…" She looked to Gan who raised a brow at her. "If you're bumping beds with the King of the Gerudo. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices in order to protect your kingdom. What if I told you that marrying someone else would strengthen an alliance for the-"

"Then I'd call you stupid and ask what's better, me kissing some rich families ass or sealing an even stronger alliance with the Gerudo?" Mora cast an annoyed look back at Zelda, earning herself a scowl. "Mom, I don't _want_ this. I never have. I'd rather live a simple life looking out over the ocean and exploring caves."

"Mora…" Zelda pulled back, her hand to her chest as she tried to focus on the rest of what her daughter had said, but she was stuck on Mora calling her 'mom'. "I… that… that's the first time that you've…"

Mora turned and grabbed Zelda's hands, feeling her eyes burn as she watched tears blur in the Queen's eyes. "_Please_. Call all of this off, let sister have the throne when she's old enough."

Zelda looked down at their hands as she squeezed Mora's fingers tight. "I…" She reached up, cupping Mora's cheek. "Let me at least give you the protection of the name and crown. Tomorrow night, we can do the ceremony up until your crowning, when that's done, you can decline the crown then. We can put together a speech that the people will accept as to why you don't want the crown. And then, if the Gerudo King would have you, you can travel back to the village with him."

Gan was smiling when the mother and daughter looked to him. "You already know my answer. But not to spoil your moment, isn't it about time for the rehearsal?"

* * *

Mora listened to Zelda as she faked a speech for a room that held the royal family, Duske and the Royal Doctor. She closed her eyes as she listened to everything that would happen tomorrow afternoon, a smile on her lips. She had found a loop hole. She could finally escape this spinning wheel of fate. Tomorrow night she'd be free to live the life she wanted, she was a crucial part in Demise's plan, she knew that. She also knew that she had to be wearing the crown, to be able to come and go from this castle as she pleased. She couldn't do that if she denied the crown. Demise had already shown that he couldn't leave her and take Ganondorf yet, there was something holding him back.

"Mora."

Mora sat up and looked to her mother, seeing the Queen was waiting for her to join her. "Sorry, daydreaming." She grinned as she got up and bounced down the few steps between the small throne she sat in and where her mother was awaiting her on the balcony that overlooked where people would be standing tomorrow afternoon.

"I'll introduce you to the people again, then you'll kneel, and I'll place the crown on your head," As Zelda spoke, she took a small crown and placed it on Mora's head, smiling at her daughter. "This one is just a replica, not the real thing, don't worry. Then when you stand again, I'll announce you as Zelda. From here you'll turn and thank the people, and then…" she rolled her hands, the warm look in her eyes making Mora's heart pound in her chest. "You'll read your speech. The one we talked about."

* * *

Mora threw her head back in laughter when Isarth threw his feathered arms up, having lost to the Zora Princess, Enen, at a friendly game of Go Fish. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched Gan get ready to play a game against the Zora. She glanced around quickly, noting that Najida was off somewhere else, but in that moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. She was less than a day away from freedom, and that was all that mattered to her.

* * *

Najida dropped to a knee when Dahak and Jayr walked up to her, Maz Koshia next to them. "What was so urgent that you needed to see us?" Jayr had her hands crossed in front of her as she spoke, watching as Najida glanced up at the fourth person with them, seeing the worry cross her eyes as she met Corro's dark gaze. "Najida, speak up, child."

"The Queen has agreed to let Mora deny the crown. I have reason to suspect that Mora has heard from Demise." Najida finally looked to Jayr again, frowning up at the old shaman. "The other night I woke up and the room was colored red, Mora was on the ground all but consumed in a panic attack. I…" She reached up, touching her throat. "I'm afraid she was going to… that doesn't matter. She's been talking to herself again. And then during her practice, a guardian started chasing her."

"I heard about that." Corro grumbled, his arms crossed over his large belly. "I'm surprised the guardian was reparable, I saw the damage done to it."

"The arrow she shot; I know it had a white light on it. But before that, it looked like Malice." Najida looked to Corro again, seeing the confusion in his eyes for a moment.

"Then we must proceed. If the Queen is willing to let Mora step away from the throne, then the girl will run to the Gerudo. That could give Demise the access he needs to possess Ganondorf and the Triforce of Power." Maz Koshia's voice echoed around them. "I'm afraid the only response to this is to make the Queen take back her word, she cannot allow Mora to leave this castle. At least not until we're ready."

Corro turned to leave, straightening the cravat at his throat. "I will talk to Zelda; we were planning on having dinner together anyways."

* * *

Mora couldn't wipe the grin from her face as Gan and Ubo worked through drills together, showing off his powerful muscles to the guard that walked around the area. Soon, a few Zonai warriors showed up and joined in the spar, eagerly awaiting their turn to take on the Gerudo King. She looked over, smiling at Talo who was munching on a sweet from Teaka's. "Talo,"

"Gan told us that you might be coming home." Talo smiled at Mora, holding out half of her treat for the other girl to take it. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Really?" Mora had to blink away her awe at Talo's response as she took the other half of the treat.

"Yes, really. It's been a long time since I've seen him this excited for anything. I think everyone at home has accepted that anyone who sat next to him would only be a seat warmer. I don't think he could bring himself to share a room with anyone that wasn't you." Talo leaned back on her hand, smiling as she watched Mora's lip quiver. "Oh, quit that. You knew that just as well as the rest of us. But from the sounds of it, he doesn't want his throne either. Just a simple little life overlooking an ocean." She looked up, smiling at the darkening sky. "I want him to be happy, as do the rest of us. If that means that he steps away from the throne…"

* * *

Zelda turned when Corro entered the sitting area before her room. "Corro, you look like you come bearing bad news."

"I feel like I usually do." Corro shook his head with a deep laugh. "I managed to grab some sweets from the Gerudo." He held up a small basket that had sweets and a bottle sticking out of it. "I figured I'd bring desert."

"Sounds wonderful." Zelda smiled as she led him through the second set of doors and to her balcony where dinner was waiting for them. "Do you come bearing bad news?"

"No, no. Not today. Though, I heard that you might be letting the girl deny the crown?" Corro set the basket down and pulled Zelda's chair out for her, pushing her in when she was seated. He walked over to his side of the table and sat down.

Zelda watched the King, giving a small shrug when he sat down. "She isn't happy. You should have seen her, Corro. She doesn't want this life."

"Najida told the Zonai and Sheikah there's reason to believe that she's been hearing Demise again. Did she tell you that? Do you intend to let her leave so she can hand the Gerudo King and the Triforce of Power to the monster?" Corro pulled out the bottle of wine he brought, pouring two glasses.

Zelda looked up from her dinner, staring at the man across from her. "She has? She… she didn't mention that. Maybe Najida is overreacting. I'll talk to Mora in the morning. But for now, she can deny the crown." She took her glass from Corro, taking a sip of the sweet liquid within.

* * *

Najida walked up behind Mora and Ganondorf, they were sitting in the field just beyond Castle Town, watching the sun slowly set behind the mountains. "Mora?"

Mora turned, smiling up at Najida. "Come sit with us for a moment."

"We should probably retire for the night; it'll be a long day tomorrow." Najida held her hand out, keeping her attention locked on the princess as if she couldn't bring herself to look at Ganondorf.

* * *

Zelda leaned back, a small laugh leaving her from the way Corro dropped a piece of his sweet on his shirt, getting red jam on the white fabric. She set her glass down, feeling jittery as she let the wine warm her joints. "Corro, why couldn't we have a love like this?" She sighed softly as she looked out to the fields of Hyrule as the sun dipped lower behind the mountains.

Corro poured his Queen another glass, relaxing back after he cleaned the stain as best he could. He watched her sip from her recently filled glass. "Because, you allowed yourself to love someone else. You didn't even give me a chance, my Queen." He pulled his glass to his lips to hide the smile that quirked the corners of his lips.

Zelda set her glass down and rubbed her nose, her body ran cold when she saw the smear of blood on her index finger. "C-Corro?"

"Because I am the only one that can make the difficult choices for Hyrule while you prance around in your garden with your bastard daughter." Corro watched her as she stood abruptly, coughing hard enough that blood came up. "Maybe it's a little too strong."

"Wh-What… did you do…?" Zelda collapsed to her knees as she struggled to take a breath.

Corro turned his attention to the fields of Hyrule, a somber look in his eyes. "I do love you, Zelda. I made it a tad more potent so you wouldn't suffer like your mother."

Zelda looked up at Corro, her body felt like it was on fire. Her throat felt like it was swelling shut, her joints felt inflamed to the point of pain. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound would come out.

* * *

Mora walked alongside Najida, watching her friend who couldn't even keep her head up. "Najida? What's going on? You seem like something is upsetting you?"

"Mora… I need to know what you were doing in my room… what you were doing on me."

Mora stopped outside her bedchamber, frowning as she shook her head. "I told you, I had a nightmare, I must have slept walked to your room." She touched her friends arm, giving her a gentle squeeze. Najida gave a small nod before turning and taking a step away from the princess. "Hey, Najida?" When the warrior stopped, Mora tucked her hair behind her hair. "Thank you, for being by my side through all of this."

* * *

Corro finally reached down and wiped Zelda's face clean as she wheezed. "Mora must take the throne, as much as I despise the idea." He got up and walked into her room where he turned the covers down, fluffing the pillows some before turning back to her. "If you had only listened to me eighteen years ago, none of this would have happened."

* * *

Mora opened her balcony doors, breathing in the warm air. Tomorrow she would have her freedom. Her whole being relaxed with the thought. She could ride with the wind in her hair, without a care in the world. She could eat as many sweets as she wanted. She could talk with a full mouth. And no one would care. _She_ wouldn't care.

* * *

Corro easily picked Zelda up and carried her to her bed as she weakly lifted her arm, her fingers curled like she wanted to claw at him. He chuckled as he tucked her hand under the covers. "Now, now. It'll only get worse the more you fight it." He kissed her forehead, feeling just how warm she was. "I'm sorry you won't get to see Mora crowned. It's a shame, really."

* * *

Mora walked to the vanity, smiling into the mirror. Only to stare just behind herself as the shadows shifted. She stayed still; she knew that if she turned he wouldn't be standing behind her. "I didn't think you would manifest yourself."

**Your mind is playing tricks on you, honestly.** The shadows laughed as they ran over her shoulders, touching the ends of her hair as Demise leaned down and pressed his nose to her temple. **Too bad you didn't save the right life, my Queen.**

Mora felt like the world came to a screaming halt as she stared into the yellow eyes that stared back at her. Her lips parted as she struggled to find the right words, her eyes followed the large hand as it moved in front of her face, his thumb and middle finger pressed together before he snapped. **Wake up.**


	31. Bad Dream

Mora shot up from her bed, panting as sweat covered every inch of her skin. She clawed at the sheets before running out of her room and into the hall. Her green eyes wide as they landed on a guard nearby. "Y-You! What time is it?!"

"Prince- oh!" The guard quickly looked away from Mora, not wanting to see her in her nightgown. "Princess, don't you think you should get dressed?"

"That doesn't matter!" Mora grabbed the edge of his chest plate as she gave him a hard shake. "What time-"

"Mora." Duske's voice had the princess whirling on the balls of her feet to stare at him as he slowly walked towards her. "Najida will be coming to help you get ready for today. You are to visit your mothers' bedchamber first. She fell ill in the middle of the night, I'm sorry."

Mora fell to her knees as tears welled in her eyes. "N-No! That's not possible… Duske… you're lying."

Duske slid his hand under arm and pulled her up as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mora. I wish I was."

"Then we should call today off! I-I can't go through with this i-if she's sick!"

"Mora, her fever is too high. The doctor hasn't given her much time." He helped her sit on her bed as he kneeled before her. He reached up, cupping her cheeks as tears spilled from her eyes. "Shhh, my sweet girl…" He got up and kissed her forehead before pulling her into a tight embrace. "I know you don't want the throne, but you can hold it for a few years. Then you can pass it down to Zel?"

Najida walked in, a dark look in her eyes as she moved to the closet and pulled out Mora's coronation gown. She turned and watched as Duske left the two girls alone. "Mora, I'm so sorry."

**What is she sorry for?**

Mora slowly turned until she could see Najida, her brows knitted together in question. "Why are you sorry?"

**What did she do?**

"What did you do?" Mora stood; her heart slammed against her ribs when Najida snapped her attention to the princess. "Najida."

Najida put her hands up as she took a step back. "Mora, I was saying sorry about the Queen." The princess stopped moving, but the look on her face was hard for Najida to meet. "I heard about it when I woke up."

"Look me in the face, Najida."

Najida flinched but met the furious green eyes in front of her. "Mora… don't do this…"

**Don't do what? She's hiding something, my Queen.**

Mora felt her face grow hot as she watched the Zonai warrior in front of her, she gnashed her teeth as she struggled to reign in her emotions. She turned hard on her heel and clenched her fists. She focused on her breathing, trying to calm herself. "I'm sorry… I-I…" She lifted her head as she turned to the Zonai and dropped her nightgown so she could get ready.

* * *

Princess Zelda looked up when her sister walked in in her coronation gown. It was a simple dress that was royal blue and white trimmed in gold embroidery. She rubbed her eyes as she got up and ran to her sister, hugging her tight. "She seemed fine yesterday!"

"I know, Zel. I know." Mora squeezed her sister tight as she looked over at their mother, noting that her chest was barely moving, and she could hear the faint wheezing of breath. She turned and looked back at Najida who stood just within the doorway. "Would you take Zel to go get ready?"

Najida nodded and stepped back, waiting for the younger princess to join her. She watched as Mora held her sister tight before whispering to her to say goodbye one last time. The Zonai warrior started to close the door after Zelda slowly walked out when she paused and stared at Mora. "Mora?"

Mora gave a feeble wave to Najida before going to her mothers side. She looked to the doctor who was writing in his book. "Doctor Hazel?" She took her mother's hand, trying to hold back her tears. "Is she suffering?"

"I… honestly don't know, princess. She can't be getting enough oxygen with her airways so swollen, but I don't have any way to relieve that. I'm sorry, I wish there was more that I could do for her, I'm honestly surprised she was able to hold on this long." He pushed his glasses up his nose and went back to writing. "It'd be better if we could give her mercy, but I can't do something like that."

"Does she have a chance to recover?"

"No, her mother had something similar, as did Eabim. I couldn't figure out anything to help them either."

"Would you give me a moment alone with her?" Mora ran her hand over her mother's cheek, frowning at how hot she felt. She saw the doctor give her a curious look before setting his book down. "Doctor… a few minutes is all I need."

"I… understand." He bowed his head as he backed out of the bedchamber, leaving Mora alone with the Queen.

Mora stood and walked to the doors that led to the balcony, she pushed them open and stepped out, letting the wind grab her hair and gown, blowing them around her. "Demise… you knew this would happen."

**I know a lot of things that will happen. I was stuck in Time for a very… very long while.**

"This wasn't natural, was it?" Mora looked at the table next to her, seeing a mostly empty bottle of wine sitting there.

**Not at all.**

"Why are you helping me?"

**I'm not. I'm helping myself. You're just the tool I have to use until I can become whole again.**

Mora went back to Zelda's side, frowning down at the sickly woman laying there. She leaned over and grabbed one of the pillows on the other side of the bed, her fingers tightening on the plush thing in her hands. "What happens when you're whole again?"

**I can take over the Triforce of Power and turn this world into what I really want. This world had never meant to see evil like myself, this world was one of peace. But that stupid Goddess and Hero ruined that for you.**

Mora put her weight into the pillow as she felt the body beneath her begin to spasm. She closed her eyes but refused to pull back when everything was still. She looked up, seeing the mirror of the vanity staring at her. "I would love to watch you burn."

**The feeling is mutual, princess.**

* * *

Ganondorf stood in the front of the crowd of people with the other domains standing on either side of him. He wanted to be happy in this moment, Mora was going to finally come home for good, but she had lost the woman who raised her and her actual flesh and blood. He gave her a small smile when he noticed she was watching him from where she waited. Corro was giving a speech about the Queen and how she would have wanted everyone to celebrate.

Corro turned, holding his arm out to Mora. "My dear." He grinned when Mora slowly got up and walked down the few steps to him.

Mora watched him for a moment before kneeling before him, her chest felt tight as she stared at the ground.

**If you deny the crown now, he'll be in charge. Do you want that?**

Mora looked out at the crowd, seeing Ganondorf watching her with saddened eyes. No. Corro would do something to Gan, would do something to Duske. To herself. She knew that deep in her heart. She listened as Corro said a few more words as he place the small crown on her head. She took his hand when he offered it to her, trying her best to not frown when he laced his fingers with hers and raised their hands.

* * *

Gan stood next to Mora as the moon glistened in the sky above them, he had his arm wrapped around her, squeezing her against him. "I think we could still run away?"

Mora rubbed her eyes as she pressed harder against him, laughing softly at his words. "Rescue me from the Evil Castle."

"Don't tease me, I'll do it." He kneeled in front of her, bringing her knuckles to his lips. "It'll be a fast four years. And hey, you don't have to wait until she's eighteen, you could hand it over when she turns sixteen."

"I'd hand it over to her now if Corro wasn't in the picture." Mora wrapped her arms around his head, pulling him into her chest. "I wish you didn't have to leave so soon."

"I know, Mo. I know."

* * *

Mora sat on her mares back as she watched Duske and a small troop escort the Gerudo group back towards the canyons. Two days had passed since her coronation and Queen Zelda's funeral the day after. She looked at the small troop that waited with her, Najida with them.

She was needed by Maz Koshia at the Sheikah's village so she could oversee some things. She nodded to her friend before leading the way through the field and across a bridge, taking the route that took them between the Dueling Peaks. She wanted nothing more than to turn tail and chase after Ganondorf, to hide away in the desert that she missed so dearly.

Instead she was traveling next to a river and through a small canyon in the opposite direction. The group arrived at the village by late afternoon, but Maz Koshia wasn't all too hospitable, he didn't care that she had been traveling all day. They had things they needed to get done. She frowned as she followed the monk up the hill to a structure that was open. The monk paused inside the shelter, waiting for her. When she followed him, the floor shook, and they started their descent.

Mora stayed where she was when Maz Koshia started to walk away from her, once her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit area, she followed after him. "You'll have to forgive me; my mother didn't inform me of what the Sheikah were doing."

"I'm aware." Maz Koshia stopped in the middle of the room where he turned to her. "The Sheikah monks have devoted themselves to the defeat of Calamity Ganon." He gave a tilt of his head when the girl flinched back a step. "Come."

Mora continued after him, looking around the large room until they got to a gate, she watched the tall monk press his hand to a column near the door, and then the gate slowly opened, revealing a monk that was awaiting them. He was a lean man, but he wore a hat similar to Maz Koshia's, it was wide brimmed, and a piece of cloth came down and covered his face. "What is this place?"

"At some point, a Hero will be reborn and will need our aid when it comes time to put a final end to the Calamity. When that time comes, these shrines will reveal themselves and us monks will guide that Hero. We are unsure when or if that will happen, but even still, we will seal ourselves away down in these shrines and ensure guidance for the young Hero." Maz Koshia turned to Mora, his well-muscled arms crossed over his bare chest.

"Is your sealing power… similar to the one of the Goddess blooded?" Mora watched as the monk sitting before them moved his hands and a glowing blue wall slid into place all around him, locking himself in that small area. "What happens if the Hero doesn't come for thousands of years?"

"Then we will hang on until then. This sealing is similar but not the same as yours and the princess's, yours is more of a banishment or cleansing while ours is an actual seal. Our physical forms may begin to rot, but our souls are sealed away in these areas until the Hero touches them." The monk waved his hand, signaling that he was done with this show before taking Mora back up top. "There are hundreds sprinkled throughout Hyrule, most will allow the Hero to hone their skills in combat and give themselves more energy that might be needed to defeat the evil."

"Right. What about the Shrine that I woke up in? What is that used for?"

"For emergencies, princess. It may have sustained you and saved you from falling completely under the evils commands, but it could not have saved your mother." Maz Koshia shut down her question before she could actually ask it. He shook his head at her frown. "I am truly sorry, my Queen, but Queen Zelda was too far taken by that sickness."

"To be taken so quickly by some kind of sickness, shouldn't we be worried about who might fall ill next?" Mora crossed her hands behind her back as she walked back to the village with the monk. "Is there anything in the castle I should be concerned about?"

"We have a Sanctum, but that is also for an emergency. Only one way in and out. It's for Calamity Ganon-"

"Would you show me how to access it?"

"I do not believe that would be wise, my Queen."

Mora stopped and lifted her chin, looking down at the monk from where she stood a little higher on the hill now. She was queen now, she needed to act like it. Zelda had taught her that much.

"_If you would, if not-"_

_Zelda put her hand on Mora's arm, frowning at the dark-haired princess. "Mora, you will be queen before long, you need to be assertive. There will be things that you cannot say please to. If you want people to respect you, you have to puff up your chest and say it with meaning."_

_Mora rolled her eyes but did as she was told. She took in a deep breath and stood up straight, her hands crossed behind her back as she looked at the guard who watched them, he looked nervous but was standing his ground between the two women and the stables. "I need my horse readied, go find someone to do it."_

_The guard looked to the queen who laughed silently before he bowed his head and turned into the stables to find the stable hand. "One day, you might have to go toe-to-toe with the monk or advisors. If you don't put your foot down against them, they'll do what they want behind your back."_

"_Are you telling me to rule with an iron fist?"_

"_Goddess, no. I'm telling you to be kind to your people but have a damn backbone."_

She scrunched her nose and glared at him. "You would deny me knowledge of something that is going on in my own kingdom?"

Maz Koshia lowered his head, Mora couldn't see his eyes, but she could feel the dark look she received. "I apologize, it is not yet finished."

"Then when it's finished."

* * *

Mora walked down the hall, her nails scraping against the hard-stone walls of the lower level. It had been a month and a half since her coronation and Corro was getting on her last nerve, so was Najida. She let out a sigh and leaned against the wall, a whine leaving her as she rubbed her chest, she was sore, but she hadn't done anything different with her training. She had actually stopped doing her horseback training and picked up working on paperwork.

As she leaned, she felt something give behind her. She moved as quick as her tired body would let her, green eyes wide as the wall slid down. "What…?" She stepped in and her jaw dropped, the room beyond was covered in similar blue lines as the guardians that ran around outside. It was a huge dome. "How did this get here?"

She looked around for a moment longer before slipping out of the strange room. She looked for a way to close the door but only shrugged when she couldn't find one. If anyone stumbled across the room later, she hoped they would dismiss it as a problem with the door.

* * *

June walked knocked lightly on the door to Mora's bedchambers, peaking in when she barely heard the young queen. She started to step in with a basket on her hip when she noticed a similar basket still sitting on the chest of drawers. "Mora…?"

"Hm?" Mora didn't look up from what she was working on when June came in, she was working on writing a paper of some kind.

June walked over to the basket as she set the one on her hip down. She held up the items, they were meant to help the women of the royal family through any pain or bleeding through their cycle. She looked between the two baskets, her brows knitting together. "When was your last cycle?"

"Uhm… last month some time? I don't remember. A lot has happened-!" Mora jumped from her seat when a thick black cloth was thrown on her desk. "J-June!" She turned to the handmaid; eyes wide as she watched the older woman. "What was that for?"

"Think, girl. Did you bleed last month?" June put her hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. "Your mother told me about you and the Gerudo King."

"Are you serious? Are there no such things as secrets in this place? Also, I think I can sleep with whoever I want-" Mora gave a cry when June grabbed a breast and squeezed. "H-Hey! St-stop, I'm sore there!" Mora pried the handmaids hand away, whimpering as she carefully massaged the sore tissue.

"By the Goddess." June smirked and patted Mora on the head. "You might as well write the King and inform him."

"Inform him of what?" Mora growled at the head pat she received.

"You aren't that stupid, my Queen. I'll go get Hazel to confirm, stay here." She turned to leave when she stopped and pointed to the baskets. "Hide those so no one sees them."

* * *

Mora blinked at the small kit that the doctor laid out on her desk. "You want me… to do what?"

"I already explained it twice, just go." Hazel pushed his round glasses up and watched as she took the little glass cup into a side room and closed the door. He looked to his wife, Lovetta, who was sitting in a cushy chair, her hands rubbing her own rounded belly.

June was next to the half Gerudo woman, rubbing the womans belly. "How far along?"

"Seven months yesterday." Lovetta smiled as she let out a soft sigh, glancing up when Mora stepped back out a moment later. "Come here." She watched as the young Hylian set the glass of liquid down on the desk before going to the tall woman. Lovetta stood and put Mora's hands on the round belly. "One thing you have to know about us Gerudo, even half, we are extremely fertile." She laughed at the souring look on Mora's face. "I can only imagine what that means for the lone male Gerudo. You know, it's said in the past, that when the King was old enough, all of the Gerudo that weren't guards, would go to him and that's how they would renew the Gerudo lines."

"Wait… seriously?" Mora gave a pout when she thought of Gan welcoming all the female Gerudo to his bedchamber. She looked over when Hazel gave an 'ah-ha' noise. "What is it?"

"Both tests confirm. Come look." Hazel turned so the three females could see the clear glass of foaming powder and small plate of what looked like sugar. "The sugar clumped instead of dissolved while-"

"So… I'm…" Mora turned her attention back to Lovetta's belly, flinching when she felt movement against her right hand. "It's moving." She dropped her hands and went to the desk, looking at the clumped sugar. "Why does that mean I'm pregnant?"

"If we took a sample from June, it would dissolve, taking a sample from you or Lovetta will make it clump." Hazel lifted his hands and wiggled them, grinning at the look on Mora's face. "Pregnancy."

June started to say something when there was a knock on the door, she watched as Hazel quickly did away with his test kit in an instant like he had practiced it many times while Mora walked to the door and poked her head out. "Najida?"

"Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you about some things."

"I'm getting a checkup done with Hazel, I thought I was starting to feel ill, but he thinks it's just the stress from losing mom and all the other shit I've been through. I was going to lay down after this, can it wait?"

"Oh, uhm… yeah. Want me to stand guard?"

"No, no. June said she would come check in on me in an hour or two, I'll have her come find you when I wake up." Mora gave Najida a warm smile when the warrior gave a slow nod before slowly backing out of the sitting area and into the hall. Once the door was shut, Mora pulled back and closed the doors to her bedroom, turning to the people in the room. "No one, and I mean _no one_, is to know about this."

"Not even Najida?" June straightened up suddenly, her eyes widening.

"No. I'll write a letter meant for Gan, I'll ask him to meet me somewhere and I'll tell him in person. I'll take Duske with me when I go." Mora walked to the desk and stared down at the letter she had been writing. "June, would you deliver the letter?"

"More than happily, Mora. But why don't you want Najida to know?" June walked over, putting a hand on the slumped shoulder.

"I have a feeling she told Maz Koshia and Corro that she thinks I'm still talking to Demise. I can't prove it, but the day of my coronation… the way she acted, she acted like it was her fault that Zelda became ill."


End file.
